All I Need For Christmas
by videl-z
Summary: Not your average G/V Christmas fic! It's Christmas Eve, and Videl is betrayed by a close friend. She's left alone and untrusting. All she really needs for Christmas is a friend, but will she be able to trust again? Warning: Adult themes. *8* Epilogue/A/N.
1. Not your average Christmas Eve

~All I need for Christmas~  
  
A/N: It's after the Buu saga, and Gohan and Videl still haven't hooked up?! Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we... Hopefully without any death this time, but maybe...  
  
Videl heard the loud voice of her father booming to her from behind the door. She rolled over, pulling the pillow up over her head, but soon enough, the door opened and she could hear her father enter. "Nnnnghh," she groaned.  
  
"Sweat pea, time to wake up. It's Christmas Eve, remember... I have a friend I would like you to meet," her father's voice stated. There was an audible click as he shut the door, leaving Videl to her musings.  
  
'Oh great, well there goes another Christmas... What a waste,' she thought. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 9:45 AM. Sighing, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Sharpner was going to pick her up to visit Erasa around ten that morning, because the lucky blonde was going on a trip for the rest of the vacation. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a red t-shirt and black stretch capris, despite the blizzard howling outside of her window. Walking into the bathroom, she turned the water on nearly hot enough to burn her skin...  
  
~the Son House~  
  
Gohan sat up, glad that he had woken up before his live alarm clock could tackle him. He grinned, remembering that today was Christmas eve, and he climbed out of bed. It was going to be their first Christmas since the Buu saga, and they were all going to Bulma's house to celebrate. He was also going to pay Videl a little visit after she returned from Erasa's. He had a special gift for her, and a question to ask.  
  
Goten ran into the room, fully prepared to tackle his older brother, but he frowned when he saw Gohan already getting dressed. "Aww... Gohan, I wanted to wake you up!" Goten whined.  
  
Gohan simply grinned as he finished dressing in the suit his mother had placed out for him. He looked at Goten, who's tie was crooked and the jacket he wore was on backwards. "C'mere squirt," Gohan said.  
  
Goten obeyed his brother's command and stepped up to the young man.   
  
"Let me help you," Gohan said, grinning as he pulled Goten out of his jacket again and knelt down to his brother's level. He adjusted Goten's tie, and then showed Goten how he was really supposed to put the jacket on.  
  
"Oh, I get it! That's why mommy told me to come up here and get ready, and I thought I was!" Goten giggled.   
  
Gohan laughed and grabbed his brother's hand, heading down the stairs with a special little box in his pocket...  
  
~the Satan Residence~  
  
Videl opened up the bathroom door and stepped out, feeling better as she slipped her boots on and began walking out of her room and down the hall. She was still slightly tired, and she certainly wasn't going to walk all the way down to the living room, so she floated into the air and flew down the hallway and down several flights of stairs. She landed above the last flight, because although she was determined to hate whoever this 'New Friend' was, she didn't want to scare the little bitch. She walked down the stairs, and she could hear her father and the woman talking.  
  
"And here she is..." Hercule stated. He was standing next to the perfect picture of slut, and she was smirking at the girl on the staircase.  
  
"Thanks for the introduction dad, I'm glad you have another girl over, but I have to go meet Sharpner. So, bye!" Videl called, running out of the door with no coat what-so-ever.  
  
~the Son House~  
  
"Hey Gohan. Oh good, you helped him fix his shirt. We won't be leaving for Bulma's for a while, so have some breakfast you two. At least what your father has left you..." Chichi said.  
  
Both of them stared at the food and began drooling, diving for their seats as soon as Chichi had beckoned them to do so...  
  
~the Satan Residence~  
  
Videl ran out of the house, tears whipping off of her cheeks, and forming ice crystals as they fell behind her. She finally stopped when she spotted Sharpner's car parked out side of her mansion, and she looked around for him. Hearing someone walk up behind her, she whirled around to find Sharpner staring at her with a seemingly concerned face.  
  
"Oh, there you are! I was just going to go up and ask the guards where you were," Sharpner said.  
  
"I'm fine, let's just get going. I want to get away from this Hell-hole," Videl replied.   
  
Sharpner smirked and walked up behind Videl. "Sure thing," He said, placing his hand on her shoulder.   
  
Videl felt as though something had pinched her shoulder, and she glanced down. She saw Sharpner pulling a needle from her shoulder. "Hey, What the hell was that?!" she yelled, pulling away from him. She began running, but her body felt heavy, and eventually she collapsed.  
  
A wicked grin adorned Sharpner's face. "I have you now Videl... Merry Christmas to me..." he stated.  
  
~the Son House~  
  
Gohan fell back suddenly, his head reeling. Everyone stared, he even caught his father's attention, and it was the middle of breakfast. Groaning, he stood up, righting the chair. He leaned on the table for a minute while rubbing his head.  
  
"Hey, what's up? You look a little exhausted," Goku said, voicing his concern.  
  
"Huh, oh. I-I'm sure it's nothing, just fell out of my chair," Gohan said, sitting down. He pretended to be fine, but he didn't eat anything else, and he had only eaten half of a plate to begin with...  
  
* * *   
  
Videl awoke as she felt something move,or rather stop moving, and she was thrown forward. "Ugh, what the hell was that?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"That, was the car stopping, and this," a voice that she vaguely recognized said, "Is a knife, and it will really hurt if you don't cooperate," the voice stated, running a cold piece of metal along her fingers.   
  
Her eyes opened and she stared around her, finally spotting the owner of the voice, and coming upon the startling revelation that Sharpner was the one talking. "What the hell are you on?!" she asked, more as a rhetorical question. She struggled to sit up, but found that she could barely lift any part of her body. "Huh?"  
  
Sharpner smirked as he looked her body over. He couldn't wait to taste her. He reached his arms down and lifted the raven-haired beauty from her position leaning on the dashboard, and he laid her down in the front seat. Then he reached his arm across her and pulled the seat back as far as it would slide, then reclined it so that it was almost like a bed.   
  
Videl stared horrified as Sharpner climbed over her and kneeled at her feet. She looked out the window to see if anyone could help her, but realized that all she could see was snow. "Where are we?" she mumbled.  
  
"We're at the empty drive-in-theater. No one will find you here," Sharpner stated.  
  
Videl glanced over at him, and she saw the glint in his eyes. He brought his hands forward and rested them on her shoulders, effectively pinning her to the seat of the car. She realized with a start what that glint meant, and she felt as though she were going to be sick."No, Sharpner. What the hell are you thinking?!" she screamed. She lifted her foot as high as she could, drugged as she was, and aimed a kick perfectly for the family jewels.   
  
Sharpner dodged of course, and brought the knife down, slashing at her ankle.   
  
Videl screamed and struggled against her own weight, all she needed to do was hit the car horn and someone would hear it. She screamed until it was making Sharpner's ears bleed, and he pulled back his fist and brought it crashing to a halt on her jaw. Her screaming stopped abruptly as her jaw was broken.  
  
  
Sharpner watched her squirm with a predatorial lust. He reached his hands up and ran them along her chest, causing her to try and kick him again. He pulled them knife out and cut it into the main artery of her leg. He then brought the knife up to the collar of her shirt and slashed it down the middle, cutting through her bra as well, and leaving her torso and chest fully exposed.  
  
Videl gasped as her shirt and bra were ripped from her body. She did her best to lift her hands and cover herself, but even though she did manage to do that, Sharpner simply moved her hands and then brought his own down to feel along the top of her body. 'No, God please... Don't let him, don't let him take me' she thought.  
  
Sharpner brought his hands down to the hem of her pants and let his hands rest there for a moment. He watched her writhe and shiver, terrified of what he could do to her. He suddenly felt sick as she brought her knee up, and, although she missed her target, she did manage to hit his stomach.  
  
Videl smirked as he gripped his stomach, and she tried desperately to lift her own body weight and get as far away as she could. Or at least get to the horn. She was nearly there when a searing pain shot through her torso, disabling her. She glanced down and saw the blade glistening with new blood, and her stomach torn open.  
  
Sharpner grabbed her arms and pulled her back from the wheel of the car. He threw her down in the seat and began stripping himself. The next thing he grabbed was the hem of her pants, and he yanked those down, taking her panties down with them. He smirked wildly as he beheld her nude body.  
  
"Naaoo.." Videl tried to protest, but with her jaw shattered, she couldn't even form any real words. She tried to kick him once more, but this time Sharpner grabbed her leg.  
  
Sharpner held her leg above her, stopping her from attacking him anymore. He jabbed the knife into her arms, then dragged it along the bare flesh. Then he held her leg even farther away.  
  
Videl tried to scream, and she did succeed in making one long shrill sound, but nothing to be recognized as an actual word. 'NO,' she thought, 'No, no, no, no, God help me no!' she thought as realized what his next move was.  
  
...Too late...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, what do ya think?! Do ya think at all? Do ya wanna ki blast me? Yeah, prob'ly...  
  
Read and Review, and maybe I'll continue... Or maybe I won't, depending on the kind   
of response I get.  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	2. Let me hold your hand

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
Disclaimer: Please leave a message after the beep... *BEEP* ... Yes I do own DBZ, and if you sue, you'll just get the answering machine... *BEEP*  
  
Gohan was walking toward his room when he fell against the wall. He stood there, breathing heavy while his head pounded. Eventually his body couldn't take it, and he slipped down the wall, landing in a heap at the bottom. It was almost time to leave for Bulma's, so he struggled to stand up, but failed miserably.   
  
Luckily, though, his father was passing by at the same second, and he helped his son stand up. "Hey, Gohan, are you sure you're up to this?" Goku questioned.  
  
Gohan simply nodded, but soon felt sick. It wasn't the kind of sick like he was going to through up, but more the sense of impending doom that comes when something is wrong... Terribly wrong... "D-dad, I've gotta go do something, if I'm not back soon, I'll meet you at Capsule Corp, okay?" Gohan stated.  
  
Goku watched his son walk to the front door and out of the house, and he wondered why Gohan was acting so weird.  
  
Gohan didn't know exactly where he was going, or even what he was looking for. All he knew was that someone very close to him was hurting, or in trouble, or something. He raised his ki to keep his body warm and his clothes dry. Normally he cursed his Saiyan instincts, but he had a feeling that today, he would be quite thankful for them.  
  
The snow pounded around all sides of his ki shield, and even under the warmth of his own energy, he still felt cold. He wondered if that might just be because of his Saiyan instincts or what, but he didn't let it phase him. Gohan was letting his body do all the work for him, since he didn't even know what he was looking for. As he passed through th Satan city's outskirts, he became anxious. What if it was something with Videl? That little thought simply made his speed redouble and in seconds his body had stopped.  
  
He was hovering over a vacant theater. Gohan knew that in the summer this lot was filled with soon-to-be-pregnant whores and their boyfriends, but in the winter it was always empty. At least, that's what Erasa had told him while trying to get a date... Gohan had the terrible feeling that the lot before him wasn't as empty as he thought.   
  
Gohan stretched out his senses, and wasn't really surprised to find that it wasn't empty after all. He was surprised, however, to find that the only people here were Sharpner and Videl. 'Weren't they going to Erasa's today?' Gohan thought. The idea of Videl and Sharpner alone together made him feel sick, and he became angry towards Sharpner. 'Wait, am I jealous?' Gohan sighed at himself, wondering what could possibly be wrong with this picture, except that Videl obviously had no sense of dignity to be going out with Sharpner. 'Yup, I'm jealous. Damn that Sharpn-' Gohan's thoughts were interrupted as Videl's energy dropped to almost nothing, while Sharpner's rose higher. 'Wait a second... Sharpner wouldn't do something like that, would he?' Gohan confirmed his deepest fears as Sharpner's energy evened out again and Videl's dropped still lower.  
  
Gohan's Saiyan side and his Human side fought for control of his body, but his Saiyan instincts easily won over. Gohan's eyes blazed as he landed near the car. He didn't want to look inside the car, so instead, he kicked it, and the car flipped several times before righting itself again. When the car had flipped though, the passenger door opened and two people tumbled out.   
  
One of the two appeared to be unconscious, and Gohan instantly recognized the first as Videl, and his heart went out to her. The other was obviously Sharpner, who was sitting bare-naked in the snow. (Bad mental pictures...*shivers*) Sharpner became confused and terrified as Gohan approached him. Gohan's eyes were flickering from turquoise to ebony, and his hair was alternating between gold and raven. Gohan's obsidian eyes were blazing with fury, and he reached out to grab his 'friend' with both of his hands. Gohan's powerful hands grasped Sharpner's throat, and he began squeezing the life out from the blonde. "You... traitorous... fucking... coward..." Gohan spat, closing his hands tighter around Sharpner's neck with every syllable.  
  
Sharpner's face was turning colors, and his fear-filled eyes rolled back into his head. Sharpner had no conscious thought from then on, and Gohan was preparing to deal the final blow.  
  
Videl's gasping stopped Gohan. His Human side took his momentary lapse in concentration to take over, and Gohan instantly dropped Sharpner to the snow and ran over to her side. The left side of her body was the only side that had landed in the snow, and that part of her was turning white from the cold. The snow around her body was melting and stained red. Stained with her blood... Gohan grabbed onto her waist and rolled her over onto her other side, not wanting to let her body become numb from the cold. he looked at the wreckage of the car to see if Videl's clothes were in there, but all he saw was torn remnants of her shirt. Sighing he returned his eyes to her and then reached down to lift her up. He pulled his overcoat off and wrapped her fragile form in it. His eyes were filling with tears as he thought of how terribly she had been violated. 'Why couldn't I stop this? I'm so sorry, just hold on, I'll take care of you,' Gohan thought desperately as he leapt quickly into the air, flying directly toward the hospital.   
  
Gohan entered the hospital's flying area and landed at the emegency room, running inside. He looked around for anyone who could help him. He spotted the receptionist and ran to her. "Please, help! She's been stabbed and raped. Please. You've gotta help her!" Gohan pleaded.   
  
The receptionist opened her eyes wide. "Yes, sir. Hold on!" she stated, then she yelled something into an intercom and calling for an emergency special victims team.   
  
Gohan waited for the equivalent of about 30 seconds before he heard feet running down the hall and there were doctors before him, entreating him to place her on the stretcher. Gohan hesitantly placed her shivering body on it and watched as a team of nurses ran her down the hall. Gohan felt as though a large weight had fallen on his shoulders. Not the weight a human would feel, he suddenly felt as though he were training in the gravity room with the gravity on 3000. His shoulders slumped as he stared down the corridor.   
  
One person stayed behind, but this person appeared to be a doctor who also worked for the police. He was wearing the white doctor's coat, but he also had a badge in his pocket. He cleared his throat for Gohan to look at him. "Excuse me sir, I have some questions to ask of you. I work for the Satan city police force, and I encourage you to answer each-"  
  
"...answer each question fully and truthfully... You are to be interrogated for the rape and attempted murder of Videl Satan, and are currently the prime suspect," Gohan finished for the stunned officer. "Yeah I know the drill. No, I didn't rape her. Yes, I know who did it. Yes, I can tell you their whereabouts, and yes, I work for the police force as well," Gohan finished.   
  
The cop got over his original shock in order to nod once to Gohan and pull out a pen and small Legal TM notepad. "And you are?" the cop asked.  
  
"That's none of your business. My alibi? None really, and I'm not gonna try and make one up... The only thing I can say is that I was with my family. I did find Videl. Yes, I saw who was raping her, and yes, I will identify him. His name is Pincil Sharpner, he's 18 and goes to Orange Star High school with Videl. I didn't kill him, but I did rough him up a bit when I was trying to stop him, and he was knocked unconscious. He should still be at the scene, which was the abandonded theater. Their car is a disaster, but there is still plenty of evidence in there, and if the snow hasn't covered it already, then there will even be blood... It's Videl's..." Gohan went through each of these details in a curt maner, knowing that if he started trying to explain himself, the cop would just become suspicious. Gohan wasn't surprised when the officer seemed to dismiss him as safe. If Gohan had tried to come up with some elaborate alibi, he would have remained their prime suspect, but the fact that he hadn't bothered to make one up helped him along even more.  
  
Gohan sighed and leaned against the wall once the officer had walked away again. He walked over to the receptionist when he saw her beckoning him. "Yeah..." he asked her, although he was still distracted and staring down the hall.   
  
"I need to know what relation you hold to Videl, and if you can fill out these forms," the woman stated, smiling.  
  
Gohan nodded, offering a half-hearted smile just for the sake of being polite. "I'm... Umm... A good friend... And yeah, I think I could probably answer most of those questions," Gohan responded. He took the papers from the receptionist and began filling out the answers...  
  
Half an hour later, Gohan passed the papers back to her.  
  
"My god! Are you some sort of stalker? You said you were only good friends, but you answered every question!" the receptionist yelled.  
  
Gohan chuckled slightly. "Nah, not a stalker. I just kind of make it my business to know about her..." Gohan stated, blushing and hoping that she didn't notice it.  
  
The receptionist wasn't your stereotypical blonde, though, and she did notice. "Oh, you were hoping to be a little more than friends, weren't you?" She replied, smirking.  
  
Gohan's blush increased and he was now a brilliant red. "Uh.. Um.. N-N-N-No... Well, umm... m-m-m-maybe..." he stammered. He shifted uncomfortably under the woman's knowing stare. Finally he couldn't stand it and he walked away. Gohan whirled around when he felt his father's energy appear behind him. "Dad?!" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I was wondering what happened and- Huh? Why are you at the hospital?" Goku asked, peering more closely at his surroundings.  
  
"I don't know how I knew, but Videl was kidnapped, stabbed and..." Gohan stopped, shivering. "I Don't know what was up, I just found myself floating over some lot, and then I found her and... and he was..." Gohan stopped again, he couldn't bring himself to say it. It would have been better if she had just been killed, at least then it would have been something that could have been reversed... This, it was just unbelievable. This could never be reversed, and it was unforgivable.  
  
Goku nodded once. "She was... Oh, I'm sorry Gohan. Well, listen, we're still gonna be at Capsule Corp, and if they release her, she's welcome to join us... Don't worry, I don't hink anyone would be insensitive enough to bug her about it, not even Vegeta. Anyways, just make sure that you're here for her, alright?" Goku said.  
  
Gohan nodded to his father, then watched as he disappeared. Gohan leaned against the wall and collapsed to the floor, beginning to cry. The tears that had been building ever since he found her just left his eyes, and most of his anger seemed to leave with it as well. He pulled at his hair as another hour passed, and he continued to cry. Eventually, he simply had no more tears left. His eyes were red, his voice was hoarse, and his anger was gone.   
  
Gohan stood up and moved back to the front desk. "Do you know if I can go see her yet?" Gohan asked, although his voice was broken and his mouth was parched.   
  
The receptionist smiled. "Hold on," she said, and she pulled something up on the computer. Her smile widened. "Absolutely! She's on floor two, room # 239. Don't worry, none of her injuries were serious, but she does have quite a few stitches."  
  
Gohan thanked her and began walking down the hallway. He decided against taking the elevator, because it was irritatingly slow, and he could just follow her ki up the stairs. He walked at a natural pace, not wanting to scare anyone at the hospital by moving at super-human speeds. Gohan moved slowly down the quiet hospital corridor, shivering at every smell, every sound, every sight. The entire atmosphere was bone-chilling, and he walked down the hall with goose-bumps running down his arms. He finally found Videl's room, and he tapped gently on the open door when he spotted a nurse in there.  
  
The nurse jumped and turned around to see a young man standing there, letting his eyes ask for him if he was allowed in. She smiled at him as she was leaving, carrying blood samples out with her.  
  
Gohan watched the woman leave and then walked into the room. He saw instantly that Videl was pretending to be asleep. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was pretty even, but not even enough, and Gohan saw through her facade. "Hey, Videl. I know you're awake. How're you feeling?" Gohan asked quietly.   
  
Videl's eyes opened and she glared at him. She pulled away as he stepped nearer to her bed and sat down in the chair next to it. She moved to the other side of the bed, trying to get away from him. "I'm fine," she said, but with the bandage around her broken jaw, it sounded more like "I'n sine."   
  
Gohan watched her back against the other side of the bed. "What? Did I do something wrong?" he looked down at himself, and didn't see anything. "Videl?" he asked, looking back up at her. He noticed the tears glistening in her eyes and his heart broke.  
  
Videl didn't look at him, nor did she answer his questions. Instead, she pulled the blanket even farther up her body, tucking it underneath her chin and curling into a ball as though she were trying to hide. She was shivering, and she couldn't rid herself of the feeling that she had been violated, she felt dirty. The tears in her eyes began to fall, no matter how hard she tried to stop them.   
  
Gohan put his hand out as though he were going to hold her hand to try and comfort her, but Videl whimpered like an abused puppy and pulled the blanket over her head. Gohan watched her lying there for a few more minutes, before he leaned back and fell asleep.  
  
* * *   
  
Videl pulled her head out of the blankets as she awoke. She lifted the blanket and peered under it, glaring at the bruises and stitches. She closed her eyes and relaxed her body as she tried desperately to rid herself of that disgusting feeling. She felt terrible, she couldn't shake the feeling of danger, and fear was consuming her. The back of her mind was telling her that she was just being paranoid, and in her heart she actually almost felt safe, but the only thing she would allow herself to think was that no place and no person was to be trusted. Trust was a vile word, and all it had gotten her was this. She vowed secretly never to place her trust in any man ever again. Men were trouble, and she didn't even want to know what it would have felt like to be taken advantage of by someone who she loved...  
  
As if on cue, Gohan's eyes snapped open and his head flipped around wildly. "Wha-? Where? Oh," Gohan finally registered his surroundings and he glanced over to see Videl staring at him. Gohan stared back, trying to read the emotions in her eyes, but what he saw couldn't have possibly been right, her eyes looked, scared?! He knew that he had to be mistaken, but when she turned away from him, he knew he was right. But, why would she be scared of him?! "Videl, how are you holding up?" he asked quietly. he heard a muffled 'fine', and then all was quiet. The silence was eerie, and it was even worse because poor Videl was spending Christmas in the hospital. Gohan couldn't help but feel homicidal towards Sharpner. And, if Sharpner's little Christmas present to himself cost Gohan his friendship with Videl, there would be hell to pay.  
  
The sound of the door made both of them snap there heads in that direction. A nurse was standing there with a small kit containing needles, gloves, and other items. Behind her, Gohan saw the officer who had interrogated him earlier that day.   
The nurse walked in and smiled to Videl. Then she turned to Gohan. "You need to leave sir. Just for a minute, the officer needs to speak with you, and I need to speak with Videl," she stated.   
  
Gohan nodded, and stood up silently. He walked out of the door and heard it shut behind him. He turned his attention back to the cop. "Yes?"  
  
The cop cleared his throat. "Sir, you know there were quite a few holes in your explanation earlier today, right?"  
  
"Yes, and your point is?..." Gohan asked. He wasn't normally one to be rude or sarcastic, but he didn't feel like talking right now.  
  
"Well, you see, we went to the abandoned theater and found the wreckege of the car, we found a bit of blood, and we found the weapon. There's only one thing missing..." the officer wiped his hands on his pants.  
  
"...And that is?..."  
  
"The suspect..." the cop responded.  
  
Gohan's jaw dropped. He was sure that he had knocked Sharpner out for a good three to four hours. "Wow, I'm not the same fighter I used to be..." Gohan mumbled.  
  
The cop studied him for a bit longer, but then decided to let it slide this once. "Yes, well, I think I'll just ask the girl once the n-" he was interrupted by Gohan.  
  
"No. Way. You are not going in to a traumatized girl's room to traumatize her more by telling her to relive it! That is absolutely out of the question. Understood?!" Gohan growled. He had a new fire in his eyes, and the officer couldn't help but shrink back just a step.  
  
"Yes, I understand. I don't have a warrant to arrest you, but I want you to know that you're still our prime suspect," he stated.  
  
"Oh brother! Come on! Fine, whatever. I'm staying here for now, got it? Good," Gohan said while rolling his eyes.   
  
The cop turned on his heel and walked down the hall, while Gohan leaned against the wall, sighing deeply. The sound of Videl's door opening startled him, and he turned to look expectantly at the nurse, but she simply turned and walked away, ignoring him entirely. Gohan turned to the door, and, although it was opened, he still knocked quietly. "Hey, can I come in?" he called into the quiet room. Or he thought it was quiet, but he could only barely hear Videl's stifled sobbing.  
  
"Whatever, I don't care," came the reply. Videl's voice was thick and hoarse, drenched in disgust.  
  
Gohan walked into the room, sitting down without a word. Finally he couldn't help himself. "I'll understand if you don't answer, but what did that nurse need to tell you about?" Gohan asked softly.  
  
Videl rolled over in the bed to look into Gohan's face, but not his eyes. Gohan's eyes always made her melt, and she couldn't have that. "She... She needed some b-blood samples and some samples as evidence. She w-wanted t-to tell me that the blood t-test was to check if I have... if I have... AIDS," (is that a capital 'S' or lower case?) she said.   
  
Gohan's blood ran cold and his heart leapt to his throat. 'AIDS? What? No, this can't happen, not to Videl. I like her, or rather, I love her. She can't... Not before I tell her... And besides, what's the percentage of people who have AIDS anyway? 1 out of every 5, no even less, more like 1 out of every 50.' Gohan knew what it was, but his mind felt numb, and he couldn't think of it. 'What are the chances Videl got it? Not very high, Right?' Gohan thought frantically. 'Of course, with me around, she probably did get it. I think I'm gonna be sick...' Gohan's brain began shutting down, and he simply let himself collapse in the chair next to Videl.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, like it? No? Anything? Don't worry, I have much in store for Pointy. (Sharpner), He'll   
be taken care of... *evil smirk* As you can see, Videl's trust isn't easily won, and after   
something like this, it may be impossible. Of, course, it is Christmas.   
  
Do you believe in miracles? Tell me in a review, thanks!  
  
Now, here I must, MUST say something. Rape is wrong. Absolutely and horribly wrong. It's taking something from a person that can never be returned, and is by far the worst form of'stealing'. I categorize it as 'stripping a person down to nothing but their innocence, and then ripping that from their wounded hands'. Sick world we live in, but it happens all the time. A person's dignity, and self-confidence will probably die, not to mention what could happen to them physically. AIDS and early pregnancies are just a few. No teenage girl wants to be pregnant with some psycho's child, and no one wants to be dying from AIDS, so this is just my little rant, RAPE IS FRIKKIN WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!   
  
Oh, and to Mrs. Videl Son: I would have made this 'R', had I written it before the NC-17 Ban, but now, all the people with NC-17 fics are posting those under 'R', so it's pretty much just Lemons under there. I don't want to stick my story in that category, because I'm morally opposed to reading Pornography, no matter what anyone says. I don't care if they have it, I just won't read it, nor will I categorize my own work as a 'Lemon'. Personaly, I don't think it was anywhere near a lemon, although it probably would have been 'R' under any other circumstances. Sorry if it was offending, but I really made it as undescriptive as possible, I didn't even give the body parts real names! Thanks! ^.^  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	3. Where to go?

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
Gohan was jerked awake as he felt someone moving next to him. He opened his eyes and glanced over to find a nurse changing Videl's IV.   
  
Videl growled as the nurse changed the tubes in her hand. "I feel fine, you know. And I know that you have all the blood samples you need, so can't I get out of this damn place? It's Christmas Eve!" Videl yelled. Her broken jaw didn't seem to hinder the volume of her voice any, just made her sound as though she were talking with her mouth full.  
  
The nurse turned to her. "We were planning on keeping you here for a few nights, just until we have the results back from the blood samples..." she stated calmly to Videl.  
  
"NO WAY! That could take days! And if you think that I'm gonna spend my christmas in a hospital, you've got another thing co-" Videl was cut off.  
  
"Fine ma'am. You are pretty much fine. I'll get the release papers ready, but you are not to walk on that leg, understood?" the nurse said sternly. "I'll get you crutches, now, would you please excuse me as I go to make the arrangements," she turned and left through the door, and Gohan followed her out.  
  
"Are you sure that it's okay for her to leave?" he asked, his voice drenched in fear for Videl. He had so many things on his mind, and most of them revolved around Videl.  
  
"Yes, she'll be fine... We just wanted to keep her here until we knew if she had AIDS or not, but we both know that we couldn't keep Videl in that bed for four days, it just wouldn't happen," the young woman replied.  
  
"Oh... You don't really think she has AIDS, do you?" Gohan asked, choking on his words.  
  
"Umm... Well, there's less of a chance that she got it than that she didn't, but it's still a possibility. I'm sorry," She responded honestly.  
  
"Thanks, I guess," Gohan replied, dumbstruck as she walked down the hall. He heard stifled crying in Videl's room, and he instantly forgot what he had been thinking about, running inside Videl's room instead. He saw her sitting in the bed, her face in her hands, trying not to cry, but not succeeding. "Hey Videl, what's wrong?" he asked as he sat down in the chair next to her again.  
  
Videl looked at him, but again, she evaded his eyes. "I-I just forgot that I can't go home... I don't want to face my father, not him, and I can't go to Erasa's because she's on a plane to the Bahamas right now, and Sharpner..." she didn't say another word, but the reason she voted against Sharpner's house was obvious.  
  
"Well, you could always come to Capsule Corp. with me. We're having a Christmas party, and we're gonna stay over night there," Gohan stated.  
  
Videl shifted nevously. "Umm... well, I don't want to impose or anything.." Videl said, trying to come up with an excuse.  
  
"Videl, you can't impose on people with over 100 rooms... IN ONE WING! Besides, my dad already said it was alright before. Plus, well, umm... When you got back from Erasa's, I was gonna go to your house and give you your present, then I was gonna invite you to come," Gohan stated.  
  
"Umm... But, I don't have the presents for everyone, besides, I don't have anything to wear," she said.  
  
"Don't worry about your clothes, I can take care of that. As for the presents, Goten, Trunks and Marron will be getting so many that they wouldn't even notice, and the adults don't care. Vegeta doesn't even want any, and threatened each person individually about getting him anything. I don't think you want to be 'Final flashed to Hell and back', do you?" Gohan asked, grinning. "Besides, it's either here, your house with your father and his little wench, or Bulma's house."  
  
"How'd you know that my father had some bitch over?" Videl asked. Her jaw was still sore, but she never let any injuries hinder her, and especially not her ability to speak.  
  
"You told me last week that he was having a 'friend' over," Gohan said. "You know, Goten misses you, come on, please?" Gohan pleaded.  
  
Videl didn't look at him, she knew if she did then she wouldn't be able to think properly. She considered all of the options. Capsule Corp. Christmas party, her father's yelling, or the hospital. "Al-alright..." she finally decided. She stared down at the blankets on the bed, not meeting Gohan's eyes.  
  
"Yes! Cool, and I'll be right back with some clothes, don't worry..." Gohan said as he stood up, grinning. He walked over to her window and opened it, leaping out into the afternoon sky.   
  
Videl shivered. She didn't think she could trust him, but it was better than either of the other options. She rolled over in the bed, feeling the tears drip off of her cheeks. She knew in her heart that he was more than safe, and she had a feeling that she loved him, but she wouldn't allow herself to believe it. She couldn't love him. He wouldn't love her back, an besides, he'd just do the same thing, and take advantage of her. Her heart kept telling her that she was wrong, but her mind ignored it.  
  
Gohan flew in the direction of her house, flying high in order to evade the stares of pedestrians. He could have just become Saiyaman, but he didn't feel in the mood right now. He saw her mansion as he entered the heart of the city, and he came in lower, but still too high for the guards around her house to notice. He finally landed at her balcony, and he opened the glass door to step inside. He had been in there before, but every time he still tried to take in every sight, every smell, and, when she was there, every sound. Without her, though, it was silent.   
  
Gohan walked over to her dresser, and opened up the top one, trying to find where she put her shirts and pants. He knew he would also need to find her some undergarments as well, but he was dreading that. Unfortunately for him, that was the first thing he came up against. His face became a brilliant shade of red, but still he reached in and pulled out her bra, panties, and socks. He was thankful when it was over, and he moved down to the next drawer to find several tank-top shirts. He pulled out a light blue tank, and moved down to the drawer below that. This one had an assortment of t-shirts, long sleeved and short-sleeved. He picked out a dark blue shirt, as it was the only one with long sleeves. He wanted her to be warm, even though she rarely wore a jacket. The next drawer had black stretch pants in assorted lengths. He, of course, chose the full length pants, and then began walking away. He was about to leave when he remembered that she hadn't had any shoes when he found her, and he stopped to turn around again. He knew she wasn't the type of girl who had hundreds of pairs of shoes, but he hoped she at least had a spare one. He spotted two green boots next to her bed, and he grinned walking over to that side of her bed. It was then that he noticed the small sports bag, with a windbreaker jacket tied around it. He grinned and walked over to it, dumping the clothes and shoes into it, and making a point to put the jacket inside as well. He picked up the, rather small, bag, and walked over to her window, leaping out into the dark sky.  
  
Videl closed her eyes, letting the last of her tears fall away. She brought her bandaged arm up to wipe her face just as the wind blew through her window rather forcefully, and Gohan floated inside, shutting the window. She didn't look up at him, and she didn't bother asking where he had gone.  
  
"I made a quick stop by your house..." Gohan began.  
  
"You did?" Videl asked, looking up, now mildly interested. She just hoped for both of their sakes that he hadn't seen her desk... Or that his picture sat in the middle of it...  
  
"Yeah, I grabbed some of your clothes. I would have asked my mom or Bulma if you could borrow some of their clothes, but you'd shoot me. So instead, i just grabbed some of your clothes, at least now I know you won't be able to kill me because of what I picked out for you... At least, I don't think so..." Gohan stated nervously as he placed the small bag near her feet on the bed. "I don't know when that nurse is coming back, but I want you to wear the jacket when we leave, please?" Gohan pleaded.  
  
"Err... Umm... That depends on which jacket it is," she stated.  
  
"Umm... I dunno, it was the light blue windbreaker one..." Gohan said slowly.  
  
"Oh, well, I gues then. I don't mind that one, but I will not wear the damn purple dresscoat that my father got me to wear along with the damn purple dress..." Videl finished. She narrowed her eyes as she remembered the damn dress. It hadn't lasted longer than an hour in her possession...  
  
Gohan smiled at her. "I think I should leave for a few minutes. I'll see if I can get a nurse to tell me what's up, okay?" Gohan said.  
  
Videl didn't look up to him, but she nodded her head all the same. "Yeah... And Gohan?" she called.  
  
He turned in the doorway. "Huh?" he asked.  
  
"Umm... Thanks I guess..." she said.  
  
Gohan grinned. "No prob. Now you get changed out of that stupid hospital gown while I go find out what's up," Gohan said, walking out of the door and shutting it. He came face to face with the nurse they had seen earlier. "Hi! Hey, is she getting released?" Gohan asked.  
  
The nurse nodded. "I'm a good debater, and I got them to agree to release her. That's what the crutches are for," she said, indicating the wooden items in her arms.   
  
"Oh. Well, she's changing right now. I went to get her clothes, so she'll be done soon... I hope..." Gohan said, smiling.  
  
"What about her IV? She's going to need it removed before she gets dressed," the nurse said worriedly.  
  
"I dunno, but I don't think she'd try to remove it on her own or anything..." Gohan said, unsure of himself. He stepped up to her door when he was pretty sure that she had finished, and knocked softly. "Hey, Videl, you done?" he called in.  
  
"Yeah," came the muffled response.  
  
Gohan slowly pushed the door open and stepped in, followed by the nurse. He looked to see how she had gotten the Iv through, and saw that she had managed to get it around her arm. He didn't say anything, instead, he just stood back, letting the nurse do whatever she needed.  
  
"You are not to walk on that leg, do you hear me? At least not for a week, but you should be back here in four days anyways... Let me remove that for you," she said, directing a finger toward the IV. She stepped closer and removed the tubing in it, then removed the tape around it so that the needle was clearly visible, inserted into Videl's hand. She then reached out and, carefully, pulled the needle out. She walked to a sanitary bag to dispose of it. "Now, you must go sign out, and good luck..." she said as she was walking away.  
  
Videl grabbed at the crutches as soon as she was gone and pulled herself up onto them. She wobbled slightly at first, but then seemed to steady herself. She grabbed onto her sports bag and slung it over her shoulder, walking toward the door.   
  
Gohan stepped forward, and was going to put a hand on her shoulder to help her stand, but she made a point of pulling away as he came nearer. They came to the desk, and Videl signed herself out. The pair then walked out the door to stand in the entrance. "Umm... Your energy's pretty low, I should probably carry you-" Gohan started, but he was instantly cut off.  
  
"I'll be just fine, thank you. Now, are we going or not?" Videl said, floating into the air.   
  
Gohan mumbled something, but flew into the air as well, and they both flew off in the direction of Capsule Corp.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hmm... When am I going to do away with Sharpner, you ask? You'll see... Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Well, anyways, thank you so much for all the reviews! I would do shout outs right now, but FanFiction is DOWN! NOOOOO!!!!!!!!  
*whimpers* I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms from posting ficcys. I wrote another one. It's going to be depressing most of the way through, but it isn't getting that many reviews... I don't know why... It's called 'Live the Darkness' for any of you who maybe want to read it. Hmmm... Depressing... Yeah, like you want to read that...  
  
Anyways! Thanks again for reviewing! I like angst... Maybe I should give Videl AIDS... I write angst in most of my fics, and the above mentioned ficcy is mostly angst. Hmm... I think that's saying something about my personality.  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~  
  
P.S.: Sorry about the short chappy... 


	4. The Scene You've All Been Waiting For!

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
They flew in silence. Gohan kept glancing over to her, but every time their eyes met, she would look away as though just the look in his eyes could hurt her.   
  
As they neared Capsule Corp., Gohan could feel her energy drop into the danger level, and she began plumetting toward the earth. His heart leapt to his throat and he dove down to catch her in his strong arms. He landed with her in his arms, while her eyes were squeezed tight.   
  
As soon as Videl realized who was holding her though, she screamed and leapt from his arms, only managing to tumble to the ground in the end. She looked up at Gohan with terrified eyes, while he held his hand out for her. She gulped for a few minutes before slowly standing up on her own, her eyes filling with tears as she placed pressure on her leg.  
  
Gohan handed her the crutches, studying her as she stood on them. He suddenly realized that they had landed in the front yard of Capsule Corp. anyways. "Well, I guess we're here," he said.   
  
Videl looked around. She could sense that all of the Z-fighters except for Piccolo and Gohan were in there, as well as the rest of their families. She seemed to realize that there were way too many people in there for her liking, and that if they asked too many questions she could end up having to relive the whole terrifying experience.  
  
Gohan began walking forward, not even bothering to try and put a hand on Videl's shoulder this time. They walked toward the door, and Gohan opened it for Videl, who walked as quickly as she could passed him and into the living room of Capsule Corp.  
  
Everything seemed to stop as they enetered. All eyes turned around to look, but no one said a word. The drinks that some people had half-way to their mouths never made it the rest of the way. Each person's eyes turned into a look of pity as they beheld Videl, even Vegeta's face changed slightly, although it was impossible to detect by anyone except for possibly Bulma.   
Chichi stopped where she was standing as well, and as the entire place quieted down, Videl couldn't help but feel angry at the pitying looks she was recieving.  
  
Gohan was the first to speak. "Umm... Hi! Videl's gonna be joining us for Christmas... Umm... Yeah..." Gohan said, trying to do anything to relieve the tension in the room.  
  
Slowly a murmer started up, and a few people made their way over to Videl. Videl looked as though she would do anything to get away from them.  
  
"Hey Videl, how're ya feeling?" krillin asked, trying to think of a tactful thing to say.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks..." Videl said, shifting nervously.  
  
"Soooo... Are you excited about Christmas?" Yamcha asked.  
  
"Errr... I guess so... I haven't really been excited about any Christmas since mom died..." she said quietly.  
  
"Oh..." Yamcha, who was trying to be a gentleman for once, internally smacked himself. "Have you ever had Chichi's cooking? She always cooks the meals at these party things, she's an incredible cook..." Yamcha tried again.  
  
"Yeah, I have tried her cooking, and I agree..." Videl responded. She was sweating now as she met everyone's gaze. The only people who weren't paying her any mind were Gohan, who was sitting on the couch and making sure not to look over to her, and Vegeta, who didn't look like could've cared less.  
  
"Hey Videl!" Goku said. He smiled at her, but unlike the others, he left the greetings at that.   
  
Chichi walked over just then, and she gently pulled Videl away from the others just a bit. "Hey, Videl," she said, offering a kind voice to Videl, "Would you like to come help me cook? You did say you liked the way I cook, and this way, when you're living on your own you'll have something good to eat... Besides, sometimes it's a good way to forget about things for a while," Chichi said.  
  
Videl smiled. "Yes I would... Thanks," she said. As she was walking toward the kitchen with Chichi, something soft brushed her fingers and she jumped, whirling around.  
  
Gohan stood in front of Videl, just studying her for a second. "Hey... Videl," Gohan said, as Videl leaned back a bit on her crutches, and his mother walked into the kitchen. "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here..." Gohan stated quietly.  
  
"I-I'm sorry Gohan, I just don't know how much I can trust you right now," she responded. She walked slowly into the kitchen on the crutches, as Gohan just stared at her back.  
  
A fist clenched, and a pair of ebony eyes flashed turquoise temporarily. Gohan turned around and marched toward the door with pain in his heart and fire in his eyes.   
  
"Gohan, where are you going?" Goku asked.   
  
Gohan merely growled and walked out the door, slamming it behind him causing all of Capsule corp. to shake. He flew into the air, following his senses toward his destination. Gold fire sprang up around him and his speed redoubled. He was having the sudden urge to kill someone, and he knew exactly who that someone was. "Sharpner..." he hissed. As he flew closer to sharpner's ki, he realized he was getting closer and closer to the woods behind the theatre. "So, that's where you ran to hide from the cops... You won't escape me..."  
  
Gohan finally halted above a particularly thick part of the woods. A small shape could be seen crawling through the trees, and Gohan senses were telling him that this was the person he was looking for. Gohan floated lower and confirmed that it was indeed Sharpner. he growled as he looked upon the nearly unconscious form of his former 'friend', although he could barely ever have qualified as that.  
  
Sharpner looked back in terror as Gohan stepped forward, a golden fire blazing around him, but his hair and eyes hadn't changed color yet.   
  
Gohan reached down and picked Sharpner up by the only article of clothing he was wearing, his shirt. "You..." he hissed in a voice so low that Sharpner barely heard it, and he was right next to Gohan's face. "You will pay for what you did to her... Do you hear me? You will pay dearly..." Gohan said in voice much unlike his own. He wrapped his hands around Sharpner's throat, beginning to strangle him. A few seconds before Sharpner was knocked unconscious, Gohan threw him into the ground. He didn't think killing him right away would be terrible enough, and he reared his foot back to bringing forward to strike Sharpner's groin. An almost sadistic smirk crossed Gohan's features as Sharpner began coughing in pain. "Does that hurt?! Huh? Well how much do you think you hurt Videl? I don't think even killing you could show you how much you've hurt her... And by hurting her, you've consequently hurt me... As well as angered me..." Gohan yelled while repeatedly kicking Sharpner in the groin, long after the latter had fallen unconscious. As Gohan surveyed the blood on Sharpner's wounded body, his more sensible side seemed to take over... 'Remember, if you kill him, you'll just be charged for murder... It certainly won't help your situation with Videl...' his sensible side pointed out. Gohan's emotions argued for several more minutes, but Gohan finally powered down. He knew the cops were hot on Sharpner's trail, and he decided it would be best to get out of there...  
  
He floated into the air, and began flying slowly through the blizzard back to Capsule Corp.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
*Points to story* Hey, look! I updated, and Sharpner got beat up! I'm sorry I didn't kill him... :'(   
I know, I know... It was short... Very short... But hell, it could have been shorter! Or I could have   
just not updated!  
  
Gohan: Hi! *waves*  
  
Anywayz... I actually have an updating schedule now! look in the third chapter of tainted hearts grown so fast if you wanna know what the next story I'm updating is... ^.^  
  
Oh, and I know I haven't been addressing my reviews down here, and I keep wanting to, but I never remember... Oh well, maybe next time... I did get one review that I forgot to address last time, from Goku's Daughter. YES, I'M A GIRL! ^.^ MY PENNAME IS VIDEL! HINT, HINT! *grins* Ummm... Yeah... Anywayz... Bye!   
  
Gohan: Bye *waves*  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	5. She Came Calling

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
Gohan veered to his right as an idea struck him. He remained steady in the air, but his pace quickened. Soon enough, the Son house came into view, and Gohan landed softly next to the empty house. Light imprints were left in the snow as he walked to his window and opened it, stepping in.   
  
His hand grazed the lamp's switch, and the room was illuminated with a dim light. Not wasting any time, Gohan walked to his desk, quickly pulling several items from the drawers. He sat down, and began to write.  
  
* * *   
  
The letter, as well as two other items were piled neatly in a small gift bag, wrapped comfortably with tissue paper. Gohan sped off in the direction of Casule Corp. once more, this time not intending to let anything distract him.  
  
~Capsule Corp.~  
  
Videl's hand was poised over the bowl of half-beaten cookie dough. Her eyes were glazed, and they pointed toward the ceiling, making it obvious that she was off in her own thoughts. Gently, Chichi pulled the bowl away from Videl, arousing her from her thoughts. "What? Oh, I'm sorry Chichi, I guess I haven't been a lot of help, huh?" she stated blushing. Her jaw was still sore every time she moved it, but that wasn't going to stop her from speaking. Nothing else had ever shut her up when she had something to say, not even when Spopovitch had broken her jaw, so she certainly wasn't gonna stop now.  
  
"Oh, don't worry dear. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind," Chichi said, sitting down. "Penny for your thoughts, if you're willing to share them," Chichi said, smiling.  
  
Videl smiled, but then frowned. "Well, some of the things I'm thinking are a bit disturbing, but maybe you could help me with something..." Videl's voice trailed off as she tried to figure out how to word it.  
  
"You're having trust issues, huh?" Chichi said, smiling at the shocked look on Videl's face. "It's very natural, you have to understand. I have a feeling that the greatest of these trust issues concern Gohan, don't they?"   
  
"W-Well... Yeah, but how did you know?" Videl questioned.  
  
"There were tons of ways to tell, but that's not important. I can't tell you exactly how you feel about my son, although I have a hunch, but I can ask you two questions that if you answer from your heart, will tell you exactly what you feel," Chichi offered.  
  
"Well, I suppose that's better than what I have right now, which is just a killer headache and one hell of an argument going on in my head," Videl said, laughing.   
  
Chichi chuckled a moment and then spoke. "Alright Videl, I have to ask you, but first you must promise me that you'll think about them first. You won't be able to answer them truthfully if you don't. Alright, first, When was the time you felt absolutely the most terrified in your entire life? And second, When have you, or do you, feel the safest? That's it, so think about them for a little while," Chichi finished, smiling.   
  
Videl wanted to answer right away, and tell Chichi that she was most scared when she was being beaten by Spopovitch, and that she felt safest when she was in bed, but the responses soon left her as she thought it over. As she began pondering the true response, a door in Capsule Corp. opened and then slammed shut again, causing the entire house to tremble and groan.   
  
Gohan stepped inside the door of Capsule Corp., and stomped through the living room over to the kitchen, where he leaned in the doorway. A small smile finally graced his angered features. "Hey mom, Hey Videl..." he said, smiling at each in turn.  
  
"Why hello Gohan. Next time you slam the door to the house, you'll be grounded," Chichi said calmly.  
  
"Oh thanks mom, what a nice greeting. What would I be grounded from anyways? I have no social life," he said, eyeing Videl pointedly as he said that.  
  
Videl's weight shifted as Gohan's gaze landed on her. She really wasn't ready to talk to him. Not yet. Too bad Gohan was plenty ready to talk to her.  
  
"Videl, can I talk to you for a second?" (See, I told ya) Gohan asked.  
  
Videl jumped but stood up slowly on her crutches and followed him out of the kitchen and part of the way down the hall. "Gohan I..." her voice trailed off and Gohan's picked up.  
  
"Videl, I have to ask you something. I know that earlier this week, if someone asked you who you trusted most out of me or Sharpner, you would have said me. Now though, I want to know the answer to the same question. Who do trust more now? Me, or Sharpner?" Gohan asked.   
  
Videl's heart leapt to her throat and she swallowed a bit as she thought it over. "Mpnr..." She mumbled.  
  
Gohan didn't hear her answer. "What?" he questioned again.  
  
"Sharpner, OKAY?! I care for you so much Gohan! You have every opportunity, and could easily hurt me the same way he did. When he did that, it hurt me mentally, but if you... If you did that, It would kill me! I can't trust you!" she yelled, limping back to the kitchen.   
  
Gohan was stunned, although he had expected that response, or something like it. He stumbled almost drunkenly down the hall, not noticing when he dropped the bag he had been holding. Finally he made his way into his room, collapsing on his bed, and crying himself to sleep.  
  
Videl slid down in the chair, running her hands through her hair. Tears slipped unnoticed down her cheeks, and she finally looked up to Chichi, who appeared to be just staring at her.  
  
"Here, would you ike to put the dough on the cookie tray?" Chichi asked. Videl simply nodded.  
  
Goten slipped away from where Bulma was yelling at Trunks for swearing, again. He decided that he could go play with his brother, so he began to follow Gohan's ki. Halfway down the hall he noticed something. A small gift bag. Curious, Goten went to investigate, and found that the tag was addressed to Videl from Gohan. Goten blinked, but as he thought over everything that had been happening today, he began to wonder if he should just give Videl the bag now. He didn't fully understand what was going on, but he knew that something bad had happened to Videl,and that she and Gohan weren't getting along. He decided that maybe whatever Gohan had gotten her might help get the two back together, and he decided to give it to Videl.  
  
Videl felt someone pulling on her shirt, and she looked down to find Goten standing there. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"C'mere, I wanna give you something," he said, pulling Videl by the arm into a guest room. He gently pushed her into a chair.  
  
"Goten, what is it you want?" she asked again. She watched in silence as he pulled a small gift bag from behind him.   
  
"Gohan got you a present, but I think it dropped, 'cause I found it on the floor. You should open it now, I don't think you should wait until tommorrow," Goten said, pushing the bag into her hands.   
  
"But Goten, you know that I should w-" Videl began, but she was cut off.  
  
"Nyu-uh! Open it now! Please?" he added.  
  
Videl sighed and opened the bag, reaching in and pulling out what felt like a letter. Her eyes moved over it as it opened.   
  
@---  
Dear Videl,  
How've ya been? I haven't really talked to you much lately. How're you feeling? Stupid question, huh? I mean after... Never mind. Videl I.... Umm... Arrgh! It's even hard to write it in a letter! Listen, I know you're having a hard time trusting people right now, particularly me. I'm sorry that this happened to you, I'm sorry that I wasn't there to prevent it, and I'm sorry I can't just take all of your pain away. (Tears began to find their way to Videl's eyes.) Whether you'll accept it or not is up to you, but I have to get it out. I... Love... You... Wow! My hand even shook as I wrote it. (Videl was beginning to shake as sobs found their way out of her throat.) I know I never said it aloud, hell, I barely even wrote it, but you needed to know. I would never, Ever, EVER do anything to hurt you intentionally. Do you understand? I swear it. Of course, my promise probably means about as much as Sharpner's right now. Maybe even less... Videl you can always come to talk to me. I'll be there for you whether you feel the same way about me as I do for you or not. Well.... Ummm... I guess that's it. I... Love you...   
@---  
Love,  
Gohan  
  
Videl's entire face was soaked now, and she was still crying. Goten wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad sign, so he stayed silent. Videl, on the other hand was anything but silent. "Gohan, how..." her voice choked again, and she stopped. Her trembling hand found its way back into the bag again. She felt something soft, yet somehow scratchy at the same time. She pulled it out, and realized with another louder sob, that it was a day lily, pressed and preserved. There was a note on this as well.  
  
@---  
Dear Videl,  
I've seen you looking at a pressed lily when I was studying at your house. It's always with that picture of you and your mother in the park, so I always assumed it was from her. I thought maybe it'd be nice to give you another pressed lily, so that now you'll have one from your mother, or whoever it's from, and from me. I just hope that the first one isn't from an old boyfriend! Love you... It's getting so much easier to write that.  
  
@---  
Love,  
Gohan  
  
Goten watched for her reaction as she found the flower and read the note that was attached, and he was rewarded with more tears. He really wasn't sure this was a good sign.  
  
Videl leaned back in the chair. "Goten, I don't think I should look any-" she was interrupted again.  
  
"No, No! There's still something left, I really think you should open it..." Goten said earnestly, hoping that the last gift would stop her from crying.  
  
Videl sighed and reached into the bag, feeling something long and slender inside. She pulled out a long black box and, with tears dried but threatening to come again, opened it.   
  
Inside was a bracelet. A tennis bracelet actually. It was pure gold, and had Sapphires and unpurified Opals alternating throughout it. The sapphires were a brilliant shade of blue, while the opals were, of course, black.   
  
Hands shaking, as well as the rest of her body as she began weeping again, she placed the bracelet on her slim wrist. She tried to wipe away the tears running from her eyes, but of course, every time she succeeded, more tears formed in her eyes again. "Goten..." she said, with her voice thick and hoarse, "I'm gonna go find your brother..." She stood up on the crutches and limped toward Gohan's ki, carrying the small bag and its contents with her.   
  
Goten shook his head, glad that he didn't have any girls that he liked. They seemed really confusing. "Where's Marron?" he wondered.   
  
The door to Gohan's room slowly opened and Videl stepped in. She realized that he was asleep on a damp pillow, and when she saw the lines of salt on his face, she realized why his pillow was wet. She pulled a chair up next to him and fell back into it, already tired of the crutches. She leaned forward until her face was right next to his, and she could clearly see red of his eyes. "Gohan..." she whispered.  
  
Gohan's eyes blinked open when he thought he heard someone calling him. Whatever it was, it sounded pretty. He grinned, but when he actually registered who it was, he sat up, stunned. "Videl!?" he yelped as she smiled at him. "Wha-What?! Did I miss something?" he asked.  
  
Videl grinned. "Actually you dropped something, and then your brother found it. Guess what it was..." she said, grinning.  
  
Gohan just blinked. 'What happened, just a half-hour ago she told me she could never trust me, and now... What could I have dropped? Wait a second?!' He looked wildly around and realized what was missing. "Umm... Maybe a bag addressed to you?" he asked.  
  
Videl smirked, this could be fun. "Bag, what bag?" she asked, pretending that she had no idea what he was talking about.  
  
"Wait, what else could it be? Great..." Gohan mumbled, talking more to himself than to her.  
  
Videl laughed at the confused look on his face. "Oh, do you mean this bag?" she asked, pulling it out from underneath the chair.  
  
"Yeah! I mean... Oh never mind. Did-Did you look inside?" he asked nervously.  
  
Videl showed him her wrist. "I didn't actually want to. I was afraid of opening it. Unfortunately your little brother insisted. He's a lot smarter than people give him credit for being," Videl said, smiling. "But, I think I'm glad I did... Thank you, for this, but especially that little letter. And Gohan..." she said, as he winced at the mention of the letter, "I love you too..."  
  
Gohan stared at her for a few minutes, stunned beyond intelligent speech. He suddenly grinned like a madman, and the grin was even a bit odd for him. "I-I... Wow... I love you. And I'm sorry, if you only knew how much."  
  
Videl smiled and levitated out of the chair, floating down on the bed next to him. She giggled as he blushed, because it was only a twin size bed, and to keep from falling off, she was pushed up against him. His blush soon lost some of its fury, and she could feel him place his arms around her waist and pull her into his lap.  
  
"Videl, is there anything you want to talk about? Maybe what happened..." he suggested.  
  
Videl sucked in her breath and nodded. "Yes... But I don't think I can. I want to tell someone... I want to tell you... But I just don't think I can. I don't think I could relive it," she whispered.  
  
"That's okay. Do you just want to talk? About anything? Do you think Erasa's having a good time in the Bahamas?" he asked, laughing a bit at the ridiculous question. Erasa wouldn't know how to not have fun in a place filled with men.   
  
Videl found it humorous too. "Somehow I think she's probably having the time of her life."  
  
They continued talking in this manner for several hours. Starting with little things, like the weather, and then moved their way up to slightly more personal things. Like the Cell games, which was a devastating time for Gohan, and also for Videl, but Gohan didn't know why it was just as terrible for her as for him, but he could sense it.   
  
"Videl, I have to ask, but you don't need to answer. What's so special about the Lily at your house?" he asked.  
  
Videl smiled almost sadly. "Why, you still thinking it's an old boyfriend?" she asked.  
  
Gohan blushed. "Not really, but it could be ya know!"   
  
Videl's smile faltered some as she seemed to be remembering something. "No, you were right. It was my mother..." her voice became choked some, and she leaned against Gohan. "Actually, she gave it to me just before she died... It was the day of the Call games, and my mother and I were watching my father's match on the TV. But as soon as he lost, he began telling everyone that it was just a mistake, and my mom turned the TV off. She was yelling about my father being a fake and an asshole. She had been sick with Leukemia for a while now, but that never hindered her voice any," Videl grinned a bit, and she could feel Gohan smiling at her.  
  
"Anyways, she told me that she wanted us to go to the park, because if the world was going to be destroyed, or if we somehow escaped and she simply died of her disease, she wanted to die near the flowers. I helped her into her wheelchair, and I wheeled her to the park. She was too weak to drive, and I was to young, and she hated all the drivers.  
  
"We made it to the park, although it was very difficult, because the entire earth was shaking with the force of the battle happening. I wheeled her through and deeper into the park, until we reached the field. Of course, no one was there, because they were all waiting for the verdict on the earth's future. I helped her lay down on the grass, and I laid next to her. I was scared though. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want any of my parents to die either. She must have known that I was scared because she hugged me to her and began humming the song she only used to sing when I was a baby and wouldn't go to sleep.   
  
"The fighting stopped for a moment, and then picked up again, I think that's when you began fighting. It kind of seemed to stop again, but the earth was still shaking a bit. I-I think that's when Cell must've tried to-to self-destruct..." Videl could feel Gohan's grip around her tighten slightly more as his tears dripped onto her hair. "I'm sorry... Oddly enough, this is when my mom finished singing the song for the thirteenth or fourteenth song, and she pulled a lily from the ground and placed it in my hair. She looked at me and told me I-I w-was beautiful, a-and... and that she-she-she was p-proud of m-me. When she c-closed her eyes, I-I thought she w-w-was tired, a-and wanted t-to go h-home-home. But suddenly the earth stopped shaking entirely, and her grip loosened on me. S-S-She... She... D-Died h-holding m-me...." Videl suddenly broke down and sobbed into Gohan's chest, while he cried silently for a moment.   
  
Suddenly, Gohan's voice filled Videl's ears. It was soft, and he was humming quietly. Soon he was singing softly, no longer only humming, and Videl was stunned at what she heard.  
  
"there's a little bird  
somebody sent  
down to the earth  
to live on the wind  
blowing on the wind  
and she sleeps on the wind  
this little bird, somebody sent" Gohan sang softly.  
  
Surprisingly, Videl began singing with him.  
  
"light and fragile and feathered skyloon  
thin and graceful  
the sun shining through  
she flies so high, up in the sky  
way out of reach of human eyes"   
  
"light and fragile and feathered skyloon  
thin and graceful  
the sun shining through  
she flies so high, up in the sky  
way out of reach of human eyes"   
  
"light and fragile she's feathered skyloon  
thin and graceful  
the sun shining through"  
  
Videl's voice broke and Gohan's continued.  
  
"and the only time that she touches ground  
is when that little bird  
little bird  
is when that little bird  
little bird  
is when that little bird  
dies...." Gohan finished.  
  
"G-Gohan... Where did you here that song?" Videl gasped.  
  
"I think my mom used to sing it to me when I was real young. Then I sang it to Goten when he was a baby, and still do if he ever starts crying. Where'd you learn it?" he asked.  
  
"M-My mom... That was t-the song s-she sang to me... Before she died..." Videl whispered, startling Gohan. She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest, no longer crying. Gohan was pretty sure she was asleep as the minutes passed, and he was about to lay down when she spoke up. "I was so scared... That's when I was the most scared in my entire life... It hurt so much..." she whispered, not pulling her face away from his chest.   
  
  
*She came calling   
One early morning   
She showed her crown of thorns   
She whispered softly  
To tell a story   
About how she had been wronged*  
  
  
Gohan stared at her for a minute. "Videl, what are you talking about? Are you feeling alright?" he asked.  
  
She didn't really answer his questions, instead she continued. "He had to have drugged me up with that damn needle, cause I fell unconscious, and when I woke up I could barely move," she said.  
  
"Videl, are you talking about?..." his voice trailed off as she continued. He knew what she was talking about now, and he wasn't sure even he could handle it. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep himself under control after listening to how she had suffered.  
  
"Gohan, he touched me. I felt gross every time he even brushed against me. I tried to fight back, but even when I did make a hit, It was so weak that he wasn't affected at all. He cut me every time I tried to fight back, he punched me and kicked me. Then- then..." Her voice broke and Gohan rocked her from side to side. "He took my clothes off... And his own... Damnit! I hate him. He made me feel dirty. Like some worthless piece of shit.... And then he... It-it hurt... Too much, I tried to stop him but I couldn't... It hurt on the outside, the inside, emotionally... Every way... Oh god Gohan, I think I'm gonna be sick," she muttered, trying to stand up.   
  
  
*As she lay lifeless  
He stole her innocence  
And this is how she carried on*   
  
  
Gohan grabbed her around the waist and lead her to the bathroom. She knelt next to the toilet, while he sat on the edge of the tub staring at her. He could feel tears for her streaming down his own cheeks.   
  
  
*Well I guess she closed her eyes   
And just imagined everything's alright   
But she could not hide her tears   
'Cause they were sent to wash away those years   
They were sent to wash away those years*   
  
  
Eventually Videl leaned back again, realizing that she didn't need to throw up yet. "I thought I felt you coming, but I didn't register much, 'cause by then I was almost unconscious. Unfortunately, I somehow stayed conscious too long... He... And then... He kissed me. Why did I have to stay awake? Then he, well... How can I say it? Not only his tongue ended up in my mouth... By this time I was so far gone that I just collapsed. I think you were actually pretty close when that happened. You had to have arrived not long after... Oh God..." she whispered as she leaned over the toilet to throw up.  
  
Gohan clenched his fist, trying to stop himself from leaving to go and finish Sharpner off. Instead he stood up and walked over to her, rubbing her back in a soothing motion. She was sobbing as she spewed into the toilet again.   
  
  
*My anger's violent   
But still I'm silent   
When tragedy strikes at home*   
  
  
Finally she stood up and hopped over to the sink, swallowing paper cup after paper cup of water. She looked up when Gohan pressed something into her hands, and she realized it was a disposable toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. She would have smiled, but she couldn't. She would have thanked him, but she couldn't do that either. So instead, she simply began brushing her teeth, while Gohan's hands rested around her stomach. After about the sixth or seventh time she had brushed her teeth, she began wailing and collapsed to the floor. When Gohan knelt down to her, she threw herself into his arms, soaking his shirt with her tears.  
  
"Gohan... I feel... I feel ashamed. What kind of person am I anyways? W-" she was cut off by Gohan's stern voice.  
  
"Shut up. Stop it. You're beautiful, you're perfect. I don't ever want to hear you putting yourself down for what happened! It was not your fault, not a bit of it. Don't you DARE put yourself down for what that ass did to you, understood?" Gohan growled.  
  
Videl wiped her eyes for a moment. "But G-"   
  
"NEVER! Okay? Please? You didn't deserve any of this, and you didn't bring it on yourself, so don't put yourself down for it either. If you do, then Sharpner wins. Whether he's put in jail or not, he'd still win. Videl I love you, and I don't ever want to hear that come out of your mouth again," he was yelling at first, but eventually he was simply crying with her face in his shoulder.  
  
  
*I know this decadence Is shared by millions   
Remember you're not alone*   
  
  
"Videl, just remember I love you. And no matter what happens, I always will," he whispered.  
  
  
*For we have crossed many oceans   
And we labor in between   
In life there are many quotients   
And I hope I find the mean*  
  
  
Gohan reached down and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her eyeslids were red and swollen, drooping halfway over her sapphire eyes. "Hey, maybe I should bring you to your bed," he suggested.  
  
She smiled just slightly, and then laid down in his arms. "No, I think I'll sleep with you," she said, glancing up just to watch him blush.  
  
"Uh... Umm..." he began.  
  
"Hmm? Please Gohan? I just feel safe with you, which is certainly a few steps up from earlier," she said, grinning evilly as his blush deepened in color.  
  
"Umm... Yeah... Hold on," he finally said as he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down and pulled the blankets up over her, and then crawled in next to her. His hands found their way around her waist, and he hugged her close.  
  
Just before they were asleep though, a pair of footsteps walked passed their room, and soon another set of footsteps had run their way back to the room. The door opened, and in came a short blonde girl. She ran over to Gohan and leapt on top of him.  
  
"Wha?!" he yelped, sitting up. "Marron! What are you doing?" he asked, and Videl sat up as well, now curious.   
  
"Gohan-san has to come and tell the story!" Marron squealed. "C'mon Gohan-san, you gotta! It's tr-tra-trad... We do it every year!" she yelped, continuing to leap on him.  
  
Videl gained an evil smirk. "Gohan, what's this?" she asked, watching in amusement as his face changed to a brilliant color.  
  
Marron answered before Gohan could even open his mouth. "Gohan-san always tells me and Goten and Trunks the story... I forget what it's called though..." she said grinning.  
  
"The Night Before Christmas..." Gohan muttered.   
  
Krillin walked in then, and when he saw who was in the bed, he was tempted to say something, but at Gohan's warning glare he stopped. "Marron, you have to come to bed, whether Gohan tells the story or not..." he said, grinning.  
  
Marron pouted. "I won't!" she yelled.  
  
Videl grinned and grabbed onto Gohan's arm. "You know Gohan, you'll probably get to bed a lot sooner if you just tell them the story. Besides," she said, smirking, "I want to hear the story too," she couldn't help but laugh at the look on Gohan's face.  
  
He finally slumped, submitting to both her and Marron's will. He stood, with Marron on his shoulders and turned to Videl. His arms grasped her and he helped her to stand.  
  
"It's so cute that you tell them a Christmas story," she laughed.  
  
"You're evil, did you know that?" he asked, handing her the crutches as the group began the walk to the children's bedroom.  
  
"Mmm?... You really think so? Yup, I'd have to agree with you," she said, leaning against him.   
  
As they neared the room, Krillin said his good-night to his daughter and turned to leave once again. Gohan stepped in to find that both Goten and Trunks were still awaiting him, and even though Trunks tried to hide it, he always liked hearing the story.   
  
Gohan set Marron on the bed as well, and each of the children leaned back, waiting for Gohan to begin. Gohan sat down on the edge of the bed, and actually pulled Videl into his lap. He grinned at each of their faces, enjoying the innocence behind the childish looks, even Trunks' face held a certain boyish excitement. "Alright, I guess I'll tell you guys this story, again. 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even the mouse..." Gohan's voice was smooth, instead of his normal high and nervous voice.  
  
Videl felt herself almost drifting to sleep as he spoke, his voice changing some when it was required. But all too soon, she heard the familiar ending to the famous tale.   
  
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" Gohan said, his voice quiet. He watched as Goten's eyes closed finally, and all three of them drifted off into a silent sleep. Gohan looked down to Videl, who was nearly asleep in his arms.  
  
"Mmm... Gohan..." she murmured.   
  
Gohan shook his head and stood up, carrying her and her crutches out of the room, because she certainly wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. He lead her to her own room and laid her down in the bed, pulling the covers up around her. As he turned to leave, something grasping his wrist stopped him. He whirled around to look at Videl, eyes half open, holding him back.  
  
"Didn't I say I wanted to sleep with you?" she asked, her voice barely intelligible with the combination of her injured jaw as well as her tired body. "C'mon," she whispered, only barely grinning as he finally sighed and pulled himself under the blankets with her. His arms held her close to him, and as he gazed into her eyes he couldn't help but feel a pull toward them. He realized too late what he was doing, and his lips landed on hers. His eyes widened and he pulled back, blushing. But what she did next made him understand that maybe it wasn't a mistake to kiss her. She pulled his face toward hers gently, and kissed him. After a stunned moment, he finally kissed her back. After what felt like an eternity and an instant all at the same time, they finally pulled back. Videl lay quietly in his arms, and they both drifted off to a peaceful but short sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm... Done... Finally... Hand... Hurts...  
  
I'm gonna make my author's notes short, so no shoutouts again, but this is almost the longest chapter I've ever written.  
  
First, I have a couple disclaimers: (1) No, I don't 'This Little Bird', written by someone who I don't know, and resung by Jewel Kilcher and her mother. (2) No, I don't own 'Wash Away Those Years' by Creed. (3) I don't own 'The Nght Before Christmas' written by some guy to his kids... Don't know who though. (4) I already SAID I don't own DBZ or anything affiliated with it.  
  
Next, I have a challenge. Can anyone take the following sentence, and tell me what's going to happen in the next chapter?: Gohan walked passed Vegeta, who was leaning against the doorway to the living room, and sat down on the couch.  
  
Well? There'll be plushies for anyone who guesses correctly, (excluding my sister if she reviews). Hint: It happens to Vegeta.  
  
Anyways, Bai bai!  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	6. Vegeta Clause and Mistletoe

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
"BBBBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" came the VERY early morning scream, waking everyone in the house, and every person within a seven hundred kilometer radius.  
  
Videl jumped as she was woken up, and she could feel Gohan leap in shock next to her. She didn't know who or what that was, but they didn't sound happy, that was for sure. She glanced to Gohan, noticing that after the initial shock, he didn't seem phased by the blood-curdling scream at all. He turned to the clock.   
  
"Wow! We got to sleep until 2:39 this year..." he murmured tiredly. He rolled back to Videl and hugged her for a moment.  
  
Videl made a motion to pull herself even closer to him, but suddenly her eyes widened as her face paled, and she screamed, grabbing onto the blankets for dear life. She stopped screaming and laid there, breathing hard for several seconds.   
  
Gohan jumped back and stared at her. "What is it Videl? What happened?" he asked frantically.  
  
Videl continued gasping for her breath, barely able to suck it in for a minute. Finally she spoke, although her voice slightly hoarse. "I-it's just... I forgot about yesterday, and I forgot that my muscles were REALLY gonna hurt once I woke up. Damn it!" she was still breathing heavy. "S-Sorry I startled y-you Gohan... It just felt like every bone in my body lit on fire all at once..." she whispered.  
  
Gohan hugged her once more. "Hold on," he whispered. Gently, as though carrying a fragile doll, he turned Videl onto her back. Then he pulled himself into a half-sitting position and began softly rubbing her back, massaging the sore muscles.  
  
Videl moaned a bit, and felt her eyelids closing as she neared sleep again. But as her body began to relax more and more, she realized that she probably wouldn't get to sleep after hearing that scream. What was that scream for, anyways? She lost track of her thoughts as Gohan massaged a particularly sensitive spot on her back, and her body shuddered as she moaned.  
  
As she finally felt the rest of her muscles relax, the door was thrown open and two small blurs ran into the room, diving behind Gohan's back.   
  
"Save us Gohan!" came two muffled cries.   
  
"The scary Mr. Vegeta's gonna kill us!" came a single more distinct voice.  
  
"Goten, Trunks, did you two try to catch Santa?... Again?" Gohan asked calmly, one hand still rubbing Videl's back, although it really wasn't needed now.  
  
Goten and Trunks both nodded their heads fervently.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't catch him? Even if you do set up a trap with energy binds... He's magic! Only parents and adults can catch him. That's why the man in 'The Night Before Christmas' could find him," Gohan stopped as Vegeta's energy quickly approached the door.  
  
Goten and Trunks both dove under the bed, lowering their energies to an almost untraceable level. And when you were as tired as Vegeta was, it really was untraceable.   
  
Vegeta may have been tired, but he was certainly pissed. He slammed the door open, causing it to rip off it's hinges. "BRAT! Where are the other two brats? My brat and kakarott's second brat! I'm gonna kill them!" he roared.   
  
Videl sat up slowly at that moment. "Well I certainly haven't seen them..." she growled. And it was true, because she had been almost asleep when they came in, and she hadn't even bothered to open her eyes until now.  
  
Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Videl, and suddenly smirked. "Hmph... So the little slut finally decided to stop giving the brat the cold shoulder," he stated coldly, but even he was perceptive enough to realize when he had gone too far, and this was it.   
  
Videl's eyes widened and she gasped for a second, while Gohan turned a death glare on Vegeta. "How. Dare. You?. Get Out... NOW!" he screamed, powering up as he stood, causing the two children underneath the bed to scuttle out and tear away down the hall. Gohan ignored them though, and instead began advancing on Vegeta, who could tell by Gohan's look that he probably wasn't going to survive this. Fortunately for Vegeta, as Gohan swung wildly toward his head, Goku appeared behind Gohan and held him back.  
  
"Gohan, stop! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked. Gohan struggled against his father's grip, but he was losing anger, and soon he just rested in Goku's arms, breathing heavily.   
  
"Get out of my face," he growled to Vegeta. "Bastard..." he hissed. Videl's crying caught his attention, and he turned around to move back to the bed and try desperately to comfort her.  
  
Fortunately, Vegeta knew when to shut up, sort of, and he left without another word, followed shortly by Goku.  
  
Gohan walked to the bed, sitting down. He grabbed Videl for a moment and hugged her. She sat rigid at first, but soon she had pulled away and stumbled off the bed to the floor.  
  
"Stay away!" she yelled, backing away from Gohan and into a corner.  
  
Gohan walked over to her and knelt down to her level. "Videl..."  
  
"Stay away! He's right, I'm just some slut. Go away!" she yelled as she stood up and tried to limp away from Gohan. He wasn't about to take that though, and he stood up and held her shoulders, watching as she sobbed into her hands.   
  
"Videl, what did I tell you about putting youself down?" he asked quietly. "It's not your fault, so how can you still insult yourself like that?" he whispered.  
  
"Easily," she growled, pulling away from him again and trying to run. This obviously didn't work as she dropped to the floor again and backed up against the bed. "Go! Please, just leave me. I'm just some frikkin slut, you shouldn't be hanging around with me anyways," she cried pathetically.  
  
Gohan, of course, didn't listen to a word she said, and he knelt down in front of her once more. She was still muttering about herself, and Gohan clapped a hand over her mouth. Startled, she looked up, eyes wide and dripping fresh tears. Gohan pulled his hand back from her mouth.  
  
"I told you to stop. Videl, you are NOT a slut, understood? It was NOT your fault, and I do NOT want to hear you say another bad thing about yourself," he said, smiling sadly at her. "Vegeta's an ass, and I don't even think he meant it. Besides, if he did I'll kick his ass to kingdom come. Videl I love you, but how can I love you if you won't even listen to me?" he asked.  
  
"Gohan... Wha? Oh never mind..." Videl's head leaned against his chest, but she continued weeping for several more minutes while Gohan rocked her, humming.   
  
"Big Brother! Come on! We're gonna open presents now!" came Goten's yell from the living room.  
  
Gohan groaned and looked to Videl, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. "Something I forgot to mention," he said tiredly. "Every year Goten and Trunks try to catch Santa, and every year they catch Vegeta when he's coming in from the Gravity Room. Since everyone's up already anyways, we always end up down stairs at this time," he sighed, looking Videl in the eye.  
  
"Oh, well, I suppose this is still better than at my house where my father's never home, and even when he is, he's ALWAYS got a girl over," Videl said, yawning.   
  
Gohan grinned and leaned down to pick her up. Videl found her arms around Gohan's neck, and her head against his chest. Gohan leaned down and kissed her quickly before walking out of the room.   
  
Gohan walked passed Vegeta, who was leaning in the doorway to the living room, and sat down on the couch. Gohan was growling as he eyed Vegeta, and it was a struggle for him to control his energy. Videl sat on Gohan's lap, looking out tiredly at the rest of the people there, and was thankful that she wasn't the only one who was tired. She glared at Vegeta, but after a second, her face turned into a brilliant smirk, and she had a difficult time not laughing. She caught Gohan's attention and pointed it out to him, and they both started laughing.  
  
"Hmph... The brat and his mate have both fucking lost it," Vegeta said. (Oh, and David's the only one who got it so far, it's coming up next) He suddenly heard Mrs. Briefs squeal, but he ignored it. That woman was always acting like she was frikkin high anyways. He wasn't ignoring her for long though, as she ran up to him and kissed him on the lips. He shoved her back, a brilliant shade of red on his face. "What the fuck do you think you're frikkin doing?!" he roared.   
  
Mrs. Briefs continued to smile gaily. "Oh Vegeta silly. You're standing under the mistletoe! You know you get kissed when you stand under there!" she squealed.  
  
Vegeta suddenly looked horrified as he stared up at the small plant hanging above him. He was about to reach up and rip it off when Bulma walked up to him and decided it was her turn to kiss him. She pushed up against him and pushed her tongue into his mouth. A few seconds later he had pushed her back as well, but not as rough as he had to her mother. He was blushing slightly, but his face was adorned with a furious scowl. "Woman, I told not in public," he muttered. He heard Gohan and Videl's laughing and he turned to growl at them, but as he did, Gohan matched him with his own growl, and eventually Vegeta just smirked. Reaching up, he decided not to destroy the mistletpe, he instead pulled it down and walked over to Gohan, holding it. He reached his hand out and dangled the mistletoe above Gohan and Videl's heads.  
  
Gohan looked up, horrified. "What?!" he yelped, looking from the plant in Vegeta's hand to Videl, who was staring, slightly nervous, then back to Vegeta, and finally around to the rest of the guests. Most of them were grinning, with varying degrees of evil in their eyes. Such as Krillin, who had a look on his face that would have made Cell wet himself.  
  
"Hmph... Brat, they're waiting," Vegeta said, indicating the rest of the people in the room. "That's for laughing, brat. You're lucky I didn't decide to kill you."  
  
Gohan stuttered. "B-b-but, Wait. I mean...." Gohan looked back to Videl, and then back to what was held in Vegeta's hand.  
  
"Brat, I'll stand here all day. But if you make me do that, I'll kick your ass to hell and back as well," Vegeta growled.   
  
Gohan gulped and turned back to Videl. He looked into her eyes once and then leaned down and gently brushed her lips, staying like that for not even five full seconds and pulling back. He was blushing, but still he turned to Vegeta. "There, you happy now?" Gohan asked coldly.  
  
Vegeta seemed fine with this, and he proceeded to turn the mistletoe into dust. Many of the others, however, looked slightly upset that Gohan and Videl hadn't had a little make-out fest. The children didn't seem disappointed whatsoever, mainly because they hadn't been paying any attention anyways, they were too wrapped up in unwrapping their presents.  
  
Bulma had left the room for a moment, and came back with something that was greatly appreciated by all of the adults. She walked in carrying a pot of coffee, as well as twenty or so mugs. She walked around to each person, who gratefully accepted anything to keep them awake.  
  
"Big brother, what about your presents?" Goten said, running up to Gohan.  
  
"I don't think I-" Gohan tried, but Goten left a small box on the arm of the chair next to him.  
  
Gohan glanced to it, and then shot a glance back to Videl. "I thought you said you didn't have any of your gifts..." Gohan said, genuinely confused.  
  
Videl grinned. "When you brought me my duffel bag. It had all of the gifts I got you guys capsulized in one of the pockets... That's my gift to you. Granted it's nothing like what you gave me, but I hope you still like it," she stated.  
  
Gohan hugged her with the one arm of his that wasn't holding his coffee... Which he needed a lot. "Thank you..." he whispered into her ear. He let go of her waist and picked up the gift, carefully taking the wrapping paper off, because now that he looked closer, Videl had to have made the wrapping paper herself, for it had an articulately drawn picture of Videl, tackling Gohan to the ground. Gohan vaguely remembered that his mother had taken a picture similar to that a long time ago. He opened the box and unwrapped the tissue paper, suddenly grinning, blushing, laughing and nearly crying all at exactly the same time. "Wow!" he said, staring at the picture frame in his hand. "So, that's why you drew that particular picture on the front?" he asked, a few stray tears dripping from his eyes.  
  
In his hand was a picture frame that Videl had made herself. It was glass, and the only reason she knew anything about making any glass, was that her father had forced her into taking classes. It had turned out that she was actually quite talented at it, as she was with many other things. Such as drawing, because fighting had given her a steady hand. The photograph inside was almost exactly like the one on the wrapping, but there were a few differences. Like, on the wrapping, Videl was in mid-tackle, and both of them were tumbling to the ground. Gohan had been caught off-guard, and that's why he had fallen. The picture in his hands showed Videl and Gohan both lying on the ground already. Plus, in the one in his hand, Videl was on top of him, and kissing him. He was blushing in both the drawing and the photograph, though. That had been his first kiss...  
  
Gohan leaned around and kissed Videl again, more fully this time. She smiled at him, and he could see the fatigue in her eyes. She leaned against his chest, already half-asleep.  
  
"So I take it the coffee didn't help any?" he asked, looking at the empty mug in her hand.  
  
"Mmm? Nope..." she mumbled.  
  
Gohan watched as she drifted off into sleep. Slowly he leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Thank you, my Videl."  
  
* * *   
  
Sometime around noon, Gohan had decided it best to take Videl home, although she was still asleep. He had gone upstairs and packed her duffel bag, and grabbed her crutches. Five minutes later he had said good-bye to everyone that he wasn't going to see again that night, and had flown off in the direction of Videl's mansion. Videl had woken up along the way, and now Gohan was landing in front of the gate. He handed Videl her crutches, and she limped slowly up to the gate. The guard named Johnny smiled at her, but then frowned, opening the door.  
  
"Miss Videl, we've been expecting you. We got a call from the hospital yesterday, and Hercule's been ready to blow a gasket ever since. Are you alright?" he asked.  
  
Videl winced slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine... You KNOW you don't have to call me Miss Videl, in fact, I think I've told you not to," Videl said, trying to change the subject. She felt Gohan's arm slide around her waist and she smiled.  
  
"Yeah I know... Sorry. So, did you two finally hook up?" Johnny asked. He was one of the younger guards, only about three years older than Videl, and he was more like a brother to her than anything else.  
  
Gohan grinned. "Yup, thanks for the help," he said.  
  
Videl stared at Gohan and then turned to glare at Johnny. "You knew what he was planning?!" she yelled.  
  
"Knew?! I helped him pick out the bracelet! He knew the stones that he wanted, but other than that, he didn't know anything!" Johnny laughed while Gohan blushed. "But listen, you should probably be headed inside. It's freezing out here, and Hercule's been waiting to ye- I mean talk to you... Gohan, you probably shouldn't go in. Somehow, I don't think you'd be welcomed..."  
  
Gohan growled. "I'm going. Unless of course you don't want me to, Videl," Gohan said, looking to her.  
  
Videl seemed unsure about the whole situation. Mainly because she'd never been in a situation like this before. "Umm... I do want you to come in Gohan... I think I'm gonna need a little support," she said, walking slowly toward the door.  
  
Gohan stayed back for a second. It was a 1/4 of a mile walkway anyways, so he could catch up to her before she reached the door. "Johnny... Do you know all of what happened yesterday?" Gohan asked quietly.  
  
"No, I know some of it. I know that she was stabbed... A-and... R-r-raped... But I didn't hear anything else," Johnny whispered.  
  
Gohan decided that if Videl wanted Johnny to know she'd tell him, so Gohan wouldn't tell him anything yet. But he did have one thing he needed to get out. "She... She might have AIDS, did you know that?" Gohan asked, his voice breaking.  
  
The young guard jumped. "She, WHAT?!" Johnny yelped.  
  
Gohan nodded and leaned against the brick wall. "Damn it! I couldn't handle watching her suffer, and then... And then... Losing her."  
  
Johnny growled. "You're not gonna have to. She's not gonna have AIDS, understood?"   
  
Gohan looked up but slowly nodded. "Yeah, I have to go catch up with her," he muttered, running in her direction at a speed that was untrceable to most human's eyes. Seconds later he was at her side. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and flew the rest of the way to the house.   
  
Videl shivered as they reached the house. She walked up to the security system and pressed her hand against it.  
  
""""Fingerprint a match... Enter, Satan Videl..."""" quoted the computer as the door opened.  
  
Gohan followed Videl into her house, his hand grasping hers. Or maybe the other way around, because her hand was holding his tight enough to cut off his circulation, even in Mystic form.   
  
"SATAN VIDEL!" came the raucous voice on the stairs. Hercule stomped down the stairs, taking care to cause the entire house to shake with every step down. The blonde who he had been with yesterday was clinging to his arm. "You frikkin slutty bitch. The hospital called yesterday and said you let yourself get raped by some pretty boy by the name of Sharpner. They said you should've been home by then. But were you home?! NO! You weren't sure if you got fucking pregnant the first time, so you decided to do this screwball too?!" he roared.  
  
Videl nearly fell over as the words sank in. She could feel Gohan's energy skyrocketing, and his hand clenched spasmodically on hers, as though he were having difficulty stopping himself from grasping it too hard. "B-but... Dad..." she gasped, sobbing while she tried to form words.  
  
"Don't you 'Dad' me, Miss Bitch. I can't believe what you've become. Do you really think this is what your mother wanted you to become?!" Hercule decided to let that one sink in while the woman on his arm smirked at Videl's plight.  
  
Videl grasped at her chest. She was so stunned that she was having a hard time breathing. Gohan's energy rose to an almost unreadable level, but one squeeze on his hand indicated not to kill Hercule. Gohan had tears in his own eyes. They were tears of anger, pain, and pity for Videl.  
  
"Go to your room. I don't want to see your face for another 9 months. And then when you're giving birth to some ass's child, I'm just gonna laugh," Hercule yelled.   
  
Videl would have fallen to her knees, but Gohan's strong arms caught her. She stood up slowly again. Pulling away from Gohan, she limped passed her father, her entire face soaked. She made a point of punching his new girlfriend in the face. Gohan watched her for the equivalent of about five seconds after she had reached the top of the stairs before stomping over to Hercule.   
  
"You're lucky she doesn't want you dead, or I'd kill you, and your girlfriend just for the hell of it," Gohan spat the venom at Hercule and ran after Videl. He reached the hallway just in time to watch her door swing closed. He walked up to it, feeling his heart wrench as the sound of crying reached his ears through the slightly ajar door. "Videl, can I come in?" he asked quietly. He felt her ki rise, and soon the door opened, with her floating there, her crutches simply dropped to the floor.   
  
Without a word, Videl had thrown herself into Gohan's arms. "Gohan, did I do something wrong?! Why is it that everywhere I go someone else is calling me a slut?" Videl sobbed. She was completely hysterical, practically wailing into Gohan's shirt.  
  
Gohan walked her over to her bed and rocked her, using the most effective way to calm her down as he began humming to her. His head was resting on hers, and he didn't hear or sense when Hercule walked in. The latter had gotten a good tongue-lashing from one of the maids, and now he was up in Videl's room, actually feeling sorry for what he did. He finally realized what Gohan was singing to Videl, and he nearly choked.  
  
As Gohan finished singing, Hercule cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the other two parties in the room. He was slightly jumpy under their gaze, particularly Gohan's. "Yes, Umm... Listen Videl... I'm um... I'm sorry..." he coughed. "Videl... Are Umm, are you alright?" he coughed again.  
  
Videl didn't look up from where her face was muffled into Gohan's shirt. "Physically, I-I should be fine... Eventually... Maybe... But... I-I don't know if-if I'll ever feel-feel the same again. And not just from what happened, either," she said, finally looking up, fresh tears in her eyes. "Do you really think that?" she asked.  
  
"No... I didn't know how to handle any of this, so I did the first thing I thought of," Hercule responded.  
  
"You were thinking?!" she asked incredulously.   
  
"Okay, maybe not. But as much as I may not show it, I do miss your mother," he glanced to Gohan as he said this, "And I don't want to lose you again either. Y-you don't really have AIDS, do you?" he asked.  
  
"Well... W-We'll know on Sunday, won't we?" she said. Leaning back into Gohan's arms, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well? Wow, I thought this chapter was gonna be short! and when I say short, I mean like shorter than the first chapter short. Anyways, I'm tired, but I swore that I'd do shoutouts, so here goes:  
  
To A-man: Well, in a word, Thanks!  
  
To Aqua-Fresh-Ali: Wow, thanks! I'm totally flattered!  
  
To Cooljenn aka Sena: Sorry, you're a little off, but there's cookies for everyone who at least tried to guess! Here! I'm glad you like it so much! *grins*  
  
To Goten-luvr-Mechy: A sequel! I'm not even done with this! But hmm... Maybe... Herry Christmas and a Mappy New Year... Umm scratch that. Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year!  
  
To Village Idiot (love your name by the way! *grins*): Very soon? Well, I think it was pretty soon, right? Only a couple days. Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!  
  
To Leaf Zelindor: Who cares what happens to Vegeta?! I thought that was funny! Oh well. I thought up the part about him being under the mistletoe, but my dad was the one who said that Mrs. Briefs should kiss Vegeta first. The apple never falls too far from the tree, and my dad was an evil tree. I'm glad you like the fic!  
  
To G.T.G.: I'm glad, I tried to make it emotional. And the next Chappy's gonna be a VERY emotional one.  
  
To David: CONGRATULATIONS! You're the only reviewer I've had who actually guessed about the mistletoe! Leave me a review with which plushie you'd like, or if you want some sort of sweets... I have a variety. Don't worry, I didn't make them, my mom did. Keep reading!  
  
To Emotionless Shadow: Sorry, but good try! Nothing like that happened anyways... Well, not quite... But, I'm glad you like it, and you did try, so here's some cookies!  
  
To Pan Son: YAY! I tried to squeeze as much cuteness into that chapter and a couple other's as I could, cause the rest of those chapters is gonna be depressing or really emotional. Like with Videl spilling her guts to Gohan, I needed cuteness so Gohan told the Chibis a story.  
  
To Anonymous: Thanks...   
  
To Raning Raving Jess: Well, I don't know if there'll be more Sharpner ass-kicking, you'll just have to wait and see! Glow-in-the-dark Gohan shrine? I'm flattered.  
  
To DigiExpert: I'm glad it was emotional, I tried to make it that way. Thanks.  
  
To Drunken Gohan: Nope, not really. But here's some cookies anyways. Keep reading, I love that you like the fic!  
  
To Nate013: Not even Close! But, I suppose you did try, so here's some cookies. Keep reading!  
  
To Majunor7: Yeah, I know it's demented, but it's original, isn't it? *grins* At least I tired to make it original... Oh well! I'm not sure if you like it or not, but if you do thanks, and if you don't, well, thanks for at least not leaving a review telling me how stupid I am.  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	7. AIDS?

~All I Need For Christmas~  
  
Videl spent Friday and Saturday at the Son house. After thawing off the river with ki blasts, Gohan, Goku and Goten had all wanted to go swimming, and Videl had been dragged into it. The water had been absolutely ice-cold, and she was in a bikini, but after five minutes or so her body was numb anyways, and she couldn't tell if she was cold or not.  
  
Gohan was at the table eating lunch with his family. He and Videl were going to go swimming again later that day. The phone rang, and Chichi stood up to get it.  
  
"Hello, Son residence... Oh hi Videl! Yup, Gohan's right here," Chichi said, handing the phone to Gohan, who was already standing at her side, waiting for the phone.   
  
"Hi Videl!" he said cheerfully into the phone. His wide grin suddenly faultered and his joyous voice lowered to an almost inaudible whisper. "They have the results?.. They want you to come in to recieve them?... You want me to go with you?... Yes, I-I'll stop repeating you... It's just a bit to take in. Alright, don't worry, I'll be there for you. Shh... I'll be right there... Meet you at the hospital? Got it... Yup, I can be there in five minutes. See ya," he whispered into the phone. His eyes closed tightly as he hung up the phone.  
  
"Gohan, do they know if she ha-" Goku asked. He was cut off in mid-sentence.  
  
"Yes... But they won't tell her any of the results over the phone. They want her to go there and recieve them herself. Damn it!" Gohan cursed as he walked out the door, flying at an exhausting speed toward the hospital.  
  
Chichi stood up and closed the door, which Gohan had left swinging wide open. "Well, I suppose we'll all have our answers soon..."  
  
~The hospital~   
  
Gohan landed softly in an alley and walked out to the front entrance of the hospital. Videl was already waiting for him, and when she finally saw him she ran forth, a few stray tears making their way down her pale cheeks. She threw her body against his, and a few seonds later he was rocking her, not caring who saw him. It was the entrance to a hospital, anyways. Would it really be that weird to see to lovers comforting each other? Apparently not as almost no one gave them a second glance.   
  
"Shh..." he crooned into her ear. "Don't worry, I love you no matter what happens. Isn't that all that matters?" he asked. Her head slowly nodded, and they walked into the hospital, Gohan's arm around her waist, and Videl hugging her body ever closer to his.  
  
The receptionist was the same one as the other day, and spotting Gohan and Videl she smirked. Gohan winced as he realized who she was.  
  
"So, you two are actually an item?" she asked, leaning over the desk.  
  
Videl blinked while Gohan blushed. "What do you mean?"  
  
"This guy brought you in the other day, acting like he was gonna die or something with worry, and when I asked him if he liked you as more than a friend, he actually said no! Ha! I may be a blonde, but I'm not stupid. In case if he hasn't told you yet, he's frikkin head over heels for ya," she laughed.  
  
Gohan was shifting nervously as Videl turned to smirk at him. "Hey, weren't you working in the ER on Wednesday?" he asked the receptionist.  
  
She snorted. "Yeah, so? I work in the ER on the weekdays, and I work in General admittance on the weekends. Shitiest hours ever, but I suppose it worked out for a nice laugh this time. Anyways, I suppose you're here for your appointment Videl? Well, sign in here, and then go down the hall, take a left, and enter the sixth door on your right."  
  
Videl nodded and took the papers, signing herself in. "Thanks... I guess..." she said, the previous smirk had left her face to be replaced by a look of something that resembled fear.  
  
The receptionist noticed her look and leaned over the desk. "Hey, don't worry, I got a look at your files already, and, I know I'm not supposed to tell or anything, but it's not bad, but it's not necessarily good either. But don't worry, I think you'll survive."  
  
Videl smiled half-heartedly at her. "I don't know if that's good or bad, but thanks I think," Videl said, pulling Gohan with her along the coridors.  
  
Gohan sucked in his breath as he felt every sensation of the hospital for the second time in a week. He had officially decided something: He hated hospitals. Despised the damned things. They both stopped at the door. Slowly, Videl reached a hand up and opened it, walking down into the long quiet corridor. She walked over to a young man seated at a desk.  
  
"Excuse me. My name is Videl Satan and I'm h-" she was interupted.  
  
"Oh, you're Videl Satan. You look a bit different than your last publicity appearance... You know, at the tournament?" he said.   
  
"Umm... Yeah, but anyways I n-" she was interrupted yet again.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hold on while I page the doctor," he muttered, pressing a button on an intercom and calling for Lucy. Quiet footsteps were heard from a the room one door down.   
  
"Hey, lazy-ass," came the young doctor's voice. "You don't need to page the whole damn hospital for me, I'm not even fifteen yards away!" she yelled. Turning to Videl she smiled. "You must be Videl Satan. I'm Dr. Fikkin, but please call me Lucy, 'cause if you've ever studied German you know what that means. Anyways, please come into my office and we can discuss some of these results," she eyed Gohan carefully. "Is there any particular reason that you'd like him to come, or can he stay out?" she asked.  
  
"He's coming. That's final, I don't care what you say..." Videl growled.  
  
The Dr. held up her hands. "Don't worry, he can come, I just needed to ask. follow me," she said, leading them farther down the hall.  
  
Videl's grip on Gohan's hand was so tight at this point that his hand was nearly broken. Slowly, he tugged it away from her a bit, and she caught the hint. Her grip loosened... Slightly.  
  
"Videl that woman said you didn't have much to worry about, calm down," he whispered.  
  
Videl's cheeks flushed slightly, but her grip did loosen more. Lucy lead them into a quiet office, and she shut the soundproof door. She waved for them to sit down as she sat down in a chair. They sat, both of them nervous as they held hands over the chairs.  
  
"Alright. There's some good news and some bad news, but over all you were pretty lucky," she said, eyeing Videl as she pulled out a file stacked with papers. "One thing we did find out that you may be happy to hear is that you're not pregnant. I don't know if that had crossed your mind, but it was a pssibility."  
  
Videl choked for a second but then leaned over, resting her head against Gohan's shoulder. "Thank god..." she whispered.  
  
"I'll let you see the blood tests for yourself," Lucy added, handing the folder to Videl.  
  
Videl stared at the manila paper in her hands. "Umm... Gohan, you look, okay?" she asked. She gently pushed the papers into his hands.   
  
Gohan stared at it, but soon his trembling hands opened it, and his eyes scanned over the results. Hundreds of emotions crossed over his features. At first it appeared to be relief, then surprise, then fear, then, as Gohan seemed to think something over, he became apprehensive. Gulping he tried to stop the small beads of sweat from running down his face. "W-we-well, Videl, I don't think it's actually th-that bad... Here," he handed her the papers. leaning over, he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, no AIDS, got it?"   
  
The second she heard this, she smiled, and opened the envelope more willingly this time. Glancing over it, she spotted something she didn't quite understand. "Syphilis?" she questioned. "I've heard of it, but barely..."   
  
Dr. Fikkin (Bwahahaha!) smiled. "Syphilis is another sexually transmitted disease, but this one is bacterial, and actually very rare. It is deadly, but only sometimes, and that only happens to a small percentage of people who contract it."  
  
Gohan squeezed Videl's hand gently. "I actually read about it somewhere, and it's completely curable, you just need to catch it. Actually, if I'm not mistaken, then you still may not have Syphilis, 'cause sometimes you'll get positive results when you don't even have it."  
  
The doctor blinked at Gohan for a moment. "Is there any particular reason that you seem so knowledgeable about it?" she asked, quite suspiciously.  
  
Gohan laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Nah, my mom just hasn't let me stop studying for the past 7 years, it's kind of hard not to learn at least something."  
  
"Right. Anyways, it's true that false positive and negative results can appear. That's we're gonna take a bit more of your blood and give two samples to two different experts. That way, we can have two opinions. Oh, and you can take the bandages on your arms, legs and stomach off. I see you decided to stop using the crutches before we dubbed it safe," Lucy said pointedly.  
  
Videl crossed her arms and growled. "I didn't need the damn things anyway," she muttered.   
  
"I'm sure you didn't think you did. Anyways, seeing as we can't officially diagnose you with Syphilis yet, I'd like to take some samples of your blood," turning to Gohan she spoke. "You, sir need to leave. I have some things to ask Miss Satan, and I don't care who you are, you can't and don't want to hear them. I'll also need to look at a part of her body that I pray you've never seen, if only ever in your dreams."  
  
Gohan's face paled. He must have lost at least nine shades of color. Slowly he turned to Videl to find her laughing. Shaking, he stood up and nearly ran from the room. Curious as to what he must have gotten himself into, he walked out the door that had originally lead them into the hall. He glanced up at the sign above it and read it.   
  
~Gynecology Lab  
` ` ` ` ` Dr. Lucy Fikkin  
` ` ` ` ` Dr. Michael Shuft  
~  
  
Gohan gulped as he stared at it, and slowly leaned against the wall. He decided that he could let Videl come out of the corridor. She didn't need his support anymore anyways, besides, if he went back in there, he'd faint.  
  
Videl walked back out, the smallest hint of a smile on her face.She knelt down near Gohan so that she was level with him. "Hey Gohan, you ready to go?" she asked. Her voice was small and distant, and Gohan looked up to study her face.  
  
"What's wrong, Videl?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong Gohan, why'd you think something was wrong?" she paused, "Sooo... I don't have AIDS?" She asked as though she were unsure, even though she knew that she didn't.  
  
Gohan blinked. "No... You know that..." he finally stood up, taking Videl with him. His hands were resting on her shoulders. "And Syphilis can usually be cured, even if you do have it..."   
  
Videl suddenly shrieked, throwing her entire body into Gohan's arms. She began sobbing against him, and he could do nothing except for blink in utter confusion.  
  
"Videl, what on earth could be wrong right now?" he asked, pulling her back just enough that he could see her face, as well as the sapphire eyes.   
  
"Nothing's wrong Gohan. Nothing at all..." she suddenly grinned. "I'm just relieved, that's all..."   
  
"Oh... Well, do you want to come to my house? My parents have been waiting almost as anxiously as I have to know if you have AIDS," Gohan suggested.  
  
"Umm... Sure..."   
  
* * *  
  
It was New Year's Eve, and Gohan lay on the couch, drumming his fingers across his knee until they were going numb. Hercule was throwing a New Year's Eve party, and he told Videl that she at least needed to make an appearance. Gohan and Videl did make plans, but they weren't getting together until eleven.   
  
Gohan glared at the clock. 10:09, it read. He wouldn't even need to leave to pick her up until 10:45. There was another party with all of his family, but this time it was right at his house, and Gohan was left in a corner, waiting for the moment to leave and bring Videl back with him.  
  
The phone rang, and Gohan fled to it, desperate for anything to tear him from the 'party', which consisted mostly of his friends and family talking, and Goten and Trunks plotting some disturbing mischief. He reached the phone and picked it up.  
  
"Hello, Son residence."  
  
"Gohan, please... Come now!" Videl's voice panted over the phone. A pure terror was in her voice, and she was breathing as though she were almost too scared to speak.  
  
"Videl? What's wrong?!" Gohan yelped.  
  
"Gohan, please, just come... AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! No! Get the hell away from me! Hey give me that, th- GOHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" this was the last thing Gohan heard before the line went dead, but it sounded more as though the line was cut than that the phone was hung up. Gohan felt a deep sense of foreboding, and before the average human eye could follow, Gohan was out the door and on his way to Videl. None of his emotions separated themselves from one another, they all seemed to resemble fear.  
  
~The Satan Mansion~  
  
The phone was torn from Videl's hands as a group of perverted young men decided that it was about their turn to grab some of Videl. They were in a remote room of Satan mansion, and not a sound could be heard from this room, that's why Videl was there when she wanted to be alone.   
  
She shoved one of them from her way and ran across the room, but with every motion she became more and more terrified, and when they began advancing on her, she found that she couldn't seem to fight back. All her knowledge of how to fight seemed to have been replaced by sheer terror. She could only think one thing. 'Please no, Please not again.' she repeated this chant in her head, and was soon mumbling it out loud.  
  
There were seven or eight young men in this group. They varied in size, but they all had the same appearance, the same smell, and the same thing on their minds, however small those might be. The tallest one backed Videl into acorner, and watched with a sadistic pleasure as she whimpered. He placed his hand on the neck of her low-cut tank top, and then slipped it underneath. Videl's response to this was to jump away and fly off, but as she leapt up, she was pulled back down again. A hand was placed on her inner thigh, and she spun around, elbowing the culprit out of pure fear now, no longer by fighting instinct.  
  
A shriek was elicited from her mouth as a blade was placed against her throat. The person who held the knife then procedded to slip his hand down her pants, earning him a kick in the groin. But as each one tried but failed to take her, she was weakened more by fear. By now she was crying as she tried to fight, although it was down to three of the original seven. She suddenly dropped down onto her knees, curling into a ball. She had reached her submission point, and she couldn't handle it anymore.  
  
The leader of the group reached down to the frightened girl and dragged her away from the corner. He didn't seem to care for wasting time, and in a second he had pulled her pants and underwear down to her ankles, and was undressing himself. But he never had the time to finish, as before he had even the time to blink he was literally through the wall to the next room.  
  
Videl was too scared to really recognize what had happened, or what was happening, but she collapsed again, crawling into a corner and pulling her clothes back onto her body. Whatever had stopped him from finishing was fine with her. She heard the remaining two of her attackers scream, and she was vaguely aware of them being thrown into the wall with the original, but none of it made sense. Videl's eyes closed as she wailed. She couldn't seem to stop, even when a pair of strong arms picked her up and carried her outside.  
  
"Videl, Videl, c'mon, open your eyes. It's Gohan," a quiet voice whispered in her ear.  
  
Opening her eyes, Videl realized that she was in Gohan's arms, floating outside the mansion. "Gohan," she whimpered. "Gohan, I'm sorry."  
  
"What are you sorry for?! I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked, landing on the roof to her mansion.  
  
"I-I'm sorry I didn't fight back... I... No... I'm not hurt..." she curled against Gohan's chest, pulling herself as close to his warmth as she could.   
  
"Shh... It's okay... I told you I'd never let that happen to you again, and I still won't, understood?"  
  
Videl swallowed many times, but eventually calmed herself enough to look up into Gohan's eyes, only to find them looking back into her own, filled with concern.   
  
"I-I'm fine... Just... Just hold me, please," she cried.  
  
Gohan's arms held her close, his own eyes held tears that he wouldn't allow to fall. "Videl... I don't want you starting to feel bad about yourself again, understood? You're perfect, and any man who can't see that and respect you for it, is.. Well, an idiot," he paused, "You're my perfect angel." One of his hands gently lifted her chin, and he pulled her into a gentle kiss. "Why don't we go back to my house? There's a party going on, and if you don't want to stay there, I'm sure we could find some quiet place to sit... You've probably had enough of this place anyways."  
  
Videl's arms slipped around Gohan's neck, and she pulled herself against his body. "I don't feel like flying right now... Why don't you carry me?" she asked, a furtive smirk on her face.  
  
"Uh...Umm... Ar-Are you sure?" Gohan asked as she leaned her head against his chest.  
  
"Mm hmm..."  
  
Gohan grasped her waist and took off in the direction of his house at a rather slow speed. He wasn't in any rush to get back there, he really just wanted to get Videl away from her house. He just wanted to keep her safe, and he knew that she'd at least be safe at his house... Unless of course Goten and Trunks decided to blow the house up, but that was no big deal, at least not if you're used to dealing with them.  
  
Gohan landed softly in their yard sometime later. There was still some activity going on inside the house, but it appeared to have died down. Gohan lowered his energy, and he was thankful when Videl caught the hint and followed suit. He grasped her wrist and tried to sneak in through the back door without being noticed, for he didn't really want her to have to face the questioning of his friends, but with no such luck.  
  
"Hey Gohan, Videl! Gohan what happened, why'd you leave so early?" Goku asked, coming up to them, a wide grin splitting his face.  
  
Gohan was amazed at how oblivious his father could be sometimes. "There was some trouble at Videl's house, that's all, and I went to go get her a little earlier," Gohan responded.  
  
"What kind of trouble?" Goku asked, his smile never once faltering.  
  
Gohan's sigh was only audible to Videl. "Just... Umm... It was just bad, okay?" Gohan asked, looking pointedly into his father's eyes, trying to give him a silent hint. Goku didn't get it, but he did leave them alone, mostly to go find more food though. Grasping Videl's wrist Gohan lead her upstairs and toward his room. They slipped silently into his room, and Gohan closed the door behind them. Gohan finally looked back into Videl's eyes.   
  
Tears brimmed the corners of her eyes, but still she didn't cry. Gohan wondered what was wrong this time, she normally wouldn't cry in public, but she was never afraid to show her emotions around him. Gently, one of Gohan's hands tipped her chin in his direction, but still her eyes wouldn't meet his.  
  
"Videl, what's wrong?" Gohan questioned gently.  
  
"N-Nothing... I-I-"  
  
"Don't lie to me, please? Even I'm not that naive. You couldn't say anything that would make me think any less of you, so what are you afraid of?"  
  
Videl's heart jumped, but still she held fast. "I... Gohan, I was scared. Damn it! Why'd I have to be so afraid? I could barely fight back because of it. I'm not used to being so scared... I don't like it..." The tears that had been threatening to fall, were now threatening even more. A single tear slipped down her cheek, but it was wiped away by Gohan's hand before it could travel the length of her cheek. Videl looked up sharply when she heard Gohan laughing. "What's so funny?! I thought I could trust you!"  
  
"Sorry Videl, it's just, you need to stop being so proud for a second. So you were afraid, so what? It's not a crime, in fact, in your situation, it would seem weird for you not to be scared. Come on, whether you like it or not, you're human, and no matter what else I am, I'm human too... It's not that weird to show emotion you know, and sometimes you just need to let it out," he said, smiling warmly at her.  
  
Knowing he was right, she closed her eyes, fighting inside herself. Eventually, she just gave up and let the dam break. Crystals poured as though through a waterfall from her eyes. She cried into Gohan's chest, and she could feel his hand rubbing her back soothingly. Looking up, she felt Gohan's hand wipe the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Gohan," she muttered, her voice thick and hoarse, "Why couldn't all men be like you?" she asked quietly, leaning into his arms.  
  
"'Cause then you'd never be able to choose," Gohan laughed. He pulled her with him over to the bed, where he lay across it, leaning on the wall. Gently he pulled her down to join him, her body laid across his own. He rubbed her shoulder while she relaxed against him, playing with the strap of her tank top. He finally noticed something and stared at her stunned. "V-Videl, what happened?! Why are you dressed up?! You... Uhh..." he said, finally realizing what she was wearing.  
  
She had her hair pulled back with a silver butterfly barette, her hair having grown just barely long enough to hold one. There was the tiniest hint of blush on her cheeks, but no mascarra, for her lashes were full enough. Moving down, her shirt was a tank-top that hung low, loose around the neck, but tight around her stomach. Her pants were black and silky, tight around her thighs, but large and bell-like at the bottom. A slit ran up to her knee on each of the legs, simply adding to the flare. This entire ensemble was topped off with earrings, the tennis bracelette, and strappy black sandals.  
  
"Do I really look that bad?" she inquired quietly.  
  
"Bad?! Uh... No! I-I'm just not used to seeing you look like this. It's really not your usual choice of attire, ya know? Why'd you decide to change all of a sudden?" Gohan asked, continuing to blink at her.  
  
She sat up a little bit, but looked away from him, deciding instead to study the blanket that she was sitting on. "I... Uh.. Umm... Well, you see, I actually just wanted to know what you thought of me like this. I mean, do you like me better in baggy clothes, or in this?"  
  
"Why should I care? It doesn't matter to me what you look like... I mean, yeah, you look really nice like that, but you do in anything you wear, and even if you didn't, I wouldn't care..." he tipped her chin gently towards him, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Gohan's hands rested on her lower back, pulling her gently toward him, while her arms were wrapped around Gohan's neck. Their tongues were soon in the other's mouth, but neither wanted to break the fiery embrace. Not much later, though, Gohan's lips left Videl's, only for his lips to kiss down her jaw and neck, and end up at her collarbone. He gently nipped the sensitive flesh at the base of her neck, and then sucked on the wound. He looked for any sign of emotion from her, but couldn't find anything. He noticed her hands were tense though, and he moved back up to her lips, not continuing to where that might have lead.   
  
Videl pushed back just a bit, and studied Gohan's eyes quietly. "Gohan..." she muttered.  
  
"Hmm?" he mumbled.  
  
"W-Why'd you stop?" she asked, her voice not even a whisper.  
  
"You didn't want me to go on..." Gohan said, slightly confused.  
  
"Well... No, but I would have let you... I-If you had wanted to.."   
  
"But you would've wanted me to stop... So why wouldn't I?" Gohan grinned, "I wouldn't force you to do anything that you didn't want to do, especially something like that."  
  
Videl closed her eyes, before laying herself out across his body. Her eyelids closed, and as she was falling asleep, she was almost sure she felt Gohan kiss each of her eyelids, but she was tired... She just might have been dreaming.  
  
Gohan had nearly fallen asleep as well, but he decided to make it at least slightly more comfortable for them both. He pulled Videl's shoes from her feet and deposited them on the floor, as well as his own. He then pulled the blankets from under them and covered their bodies with it. The only thing he didn't change was Videl laying in his arms.  
  
* * *  
  
Videl awoke to a warm feeling spreading through her body, followed by the realization of where she was and who she was with. For a split second she tensed up, and this was all it took to awaken Gohan.  
  
"Huh? Wha- Videl?!" Gohan's groggy mind seemed to slowly process everything. "Oh... Uhm... G'mornin'?" he offered.  
  
"Hmm? Well, that depends, are you gonna keep holdin' me?"  
  
"Uhh... Would that make it a good mornin'?" Gohan asked, his brain still barely moving.  
  
"Mm-hmm..." she responded.  
  
"Then yes, I will..."  
  
* * *  
  
Gohan glared at his book. He'd decided to look through one of his science books to research Syphilis again. He'd found many things out that he had forgotten, one of the most important ones being the percentage of people who the cure worked for. Nothing was foolproof as Gohan knew, and he also knew that there was a small amount of people who couldn't be helped, simply because their bodies couldn't destroy the bacteria, even with the help of medication. Most of these people had an immunity deficiency, but it wasn't unheard of that a completely healthy person would get Syphilis, and they'd eventually die from it, even with treatment. Gohan continued glaring at the page he was on, which stated that there was a 97.9% success rate.  
  
Most people would take this as a good sign, in fact, most would consider this the best news that they'd ever recieved. Pessimist or not, it was hard not to feel good with odds like that on your side. Gohan, on the other hand, felt that with the way his life always seemed to work out, Videl would end up being part of the 2.1% percent for whom the cure wouldn't work. He didn't even know if she had Syphilis yet, for they hadn't recieved the results yet, and yet he was already condemning her to death.  
  
A phone ringing snapped him from his reverie. He dropped the book and grabbed the phone, temporarily forgetting about what the pages of the reference held.   
  
"Hello? Son residence," Gohan said.  
  
"Gohan, get your ass over here this second," Videl said calmly into the phone, but panic was evident in her voice.  
  
"What?!" Gohan asked, genuinely confused.  
  
"Just do it!" there was a click, and Videl was no longer on the phone.   
  
Gohan blinked at it, but as soon as every thing registered he hung it up and ran from the house, praying that nothing was wrong, particularly something like what was wrong last time. When he reached Satan mansion, he flew high enough over the gates that the guards couldn't see him. He landed not long after and knocked heavily on the door, not as worried as he had been, because he could sense Videl's energy at it's normal level.  
  
The door opened, and Videl stepped out. "Hey Gohan..."  
  
"Videl?! The way you sounded on the phone I thought you were in trouble! What's up?!" Gohan gasped.   
  
"Gohan, I just came back from the hospital... I was gonna call you, but then, I wasn't sure... So, I went alone. Gohan... I do have Syphilis," she whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I h-" Videl was interrupted.  
  
"I... I heard. Videl, I'm sorry," Gohan's hand came up to Videl's cheek and cupped it, as his thumb ran soothingly across her jaw. Videl's hand reached up and held onto Gohan's. Her eyes closed and a few stray tears fell from her eyes. Gohan's spare hand reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Gohan, I..." Videl started, but she was silenced by Gohan's lips closing over hers. A few minutes later he pulled back.  
  
"Videl, I love you," he whispered.  
  
"I love you too Gohan," Videl whispered. Soon their lips were together again, and they stood in Videl's doorway, their lips locked.  
  
But of course, they were standing in front of the open door, and as Hercule walked past, he nearly had a heart attack.   
  
"BOY, GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!" Hercule screamed, running over to the doorway and waving his arms around in exagerated circles.  
  
Gohan and Videl's eyes met, although they never broke the kiss. Gohan smiled against her lips and pulled his hands off of her, obeying Hercule's command by 'taking his hands off of her'.  
  
Hercule began shrieking unintelligible things at them, (Wait, when has he ever said any intelligible things?) while frantically waving his arms around. Gohan and Videl did eventually pull back reluctantly, and only because they needed air. Hercule glared at the two, his face red and sweaty.  
  
"You, boy! You keep your hands and lips off of my daughter!" Hercule whirled around and walked back inside the house.  
  
Gohan grinned and turned back to Videl. "You know, he didn't wait to see that I agreed."  
  
Videl laughed and pulled Gohan into her living room. She pulled him down onto the couch, then sat down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his waist while her head leaned on his chest. "They already gave me the dose of Penisilin, and the prescription... I'm supposed to go back on Tuesday... I guess we just kind of have to wait now..."  
  
"Yeah," Gohan's voice was quiet and forlorn, but he chose not to mention what he had found in that book. One of his fingers gently caressed her cheek, and she closed her eyes against his hand. Gohan felt her body relax, and she fell asleep in his arms.  
  
* * *  
  
They returned to school on Monday. All the doctors at the hospital had been forced to sign a confidentiality sheet, and no one had breathed a word about what had happened to the media as of yet. And no one found it odd that Sharpner was continually absent. Erasa was ecsatic about a man who she had met in the Bahamas who happened to live in Japan. They were, of course, going out, and he was all she would talk about. Or sometimes she would simply drift off and begin mumbling his name, and Gohan found that it was eerily familiar, but he didn't know why. Videl even saw the name Rom written all over her notbook... Oh well, Erasa never did take good notes.  
  
Videl went to the hospital on Tuesday, but came back shrugging. When Gohan had asked how it went, she simply sighed.  
  
"They needed to take more blood samples..." she muttered.  
  
Gohan grabbed her hand and gently massaged her fingers. He wanted to say that everything would be alright, that she'd be fine, but he couldn't bring himself to make false promises, and he wasn't sure whether she would survive or not.  
  
Now Gohan sat on the couch, scanning the encyclopedia just for the hell of it, or more because he was bored out of his mind. He made a point of skipping over the entry on Syphilis. Goten was at Trunks' house, and Gohan had over heard their phone conversation. He felt very bad for Vegeta. ^-^; His mother was shopping with Bulma and 18, and his father was sparring at Capsule Corp. Gohan had wisely chosen not to go to Capsule Corp., on the off chance that he was one of the children's next targets.   
  
His head snapped up as Videl's ki signature neared his house. It was lower than normal, but still moving at speeds that Goten could barely even reach as a Super Saiyan. Gohan was stunned for a moment, but soon he had reached the door and was waiting expectantly for her. 'What can be that urgent?! I think this is the fastest she's ever flown.... And that's saying something,' Gohan thought.   
  
Videl dropped to the ground in front of him with her eyes filled with tears and windburns on her cheeks. She was ready to collapse, and Gohan caught her as she fell.  
  
"Videl, what happened?! What's wrong?!" Gohan yelped, bringing her inside and sitting on the couch with her.  
  
"I-I just c-came from the hospital..." she coughed, sitting up more in his lap.  
  
"Wait, Wha-" A sinking feeling entered Gohan's stomach.  
  
"Gohan, I just couldn't wait to tell you, I'm fine!" she shrieked, hugging him again.  
  
Gohan felt ready to die. He had lost sleep over this, and just as all of the percentiles showed him, she'd be alright. He really needed to stop worrying about her. Gohan rocked her back and forth. He was crying as well by now, so he decided to do the only thing he knew to do, and he kissed her. A few minutes later they pulled back.   
  
"Videl, I love you," Gohan whispered.  
  
"I love you too, Gohan," her eyes closed and this is how they fell asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so I FINALLY finished. You know, I'm kinda sorry to see this go, but that's one less thing on my mind now. I have some thanks to give....  
  
Thank yous to... Okay, i have 86 reviews, so I'm just gonna thank those of you who reviewed for the last chappy.  
  
Thanks: Anonymous, DEE, Ranting Raving Jess, Tenshi Kami Chrissy, Bunny, Dark Emotionless Shadow, Lok, Village Idiot, Goku02, Holy-knight, and Mason! I have Ideas for a sequel, and If I get 100 reviews, I'll do it...   
  
Peek into the sequel... If you review...   
  
~This will deal with Sharpner's trial, the media out break, and Gohan and Videl's relationship... Plus a little on Erasa's relationship with the mysterious 'Rom' (Anyone know who he is?), and the jury who happens to be siding with... Sharpner?! Oh, and what's this? Videl's pregnant?! That won't help her case any...~  
  
Oh, even if I don't get 100 reviews, I'll still write the sequel if anyone can guess who Rom is...  
Besides my sister....  
  
Oh, and Read and Review Bakura Twins ficcy called 'Demon Children Of the UnderWorld.' It's pretty good for her first fic. PLEASE?!  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


	8. What happened that night

~All I Need For Christmas~ ~Epilogue/Pre-sequel!~  
  
(A/N: Alright, there are many reason's that I'm doing this, so everyone just be patient... Village Idiot, this chappy is for you, I don't normally write a ton of sappy, but I don't want any of my reviewers to feel cheated! I hope it's sappy enough for ya! Oh, and one of my reviewers pointed out that my story's kind of predictable in that there's bad news, then good news, then they fall asleep... This chappy kind of strays from that path, but only slightly. Warning: This is not gonna be a long chappy...)   
  
*And An Extra Special Thanks To Digiexpert, My One Hundredth Reviewer! You put in your review that you hoped I got one hundred reviews so I'd have to continue, and you were the one who gave me my 100th review!*   
  
Gohan carried his Videl out the door silently, not wanting to wake his family, who had returned home, or Videl, who had yet to wake up. The wind blew fresh and cold against his and Videl's bodies, and Gohan was forced to hold Videl closer simply to keep her from freezing. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the fact that she continued to refuse to wear a jacket. Raising his ki slightly, he flew off in the direction of the Satan mansion.  
  
His mind drifted off during the flight, mainly because he was flying slowly so as not to wake Videl up. He thought of all that had happened in the past two and a half weeks. Had it really been that long? With all that had happened, every good and bad thing, it still felt like just a day or two ago. 'What if she had gotten AIDS? What if the Syphilis couldn't be destroyed? How... How would our lives be different? How would her life be different? Would she still love me? I-I know I'd still love her, but is that feeling mutual? Would it even matter? I mean, no matter what the Dr. tried, she'd still die eventually...' Gohan's head spun with 'What if's.   
  
Glancing up he landed softly on Videl's balcony. Videl's fist grasped tighter onto Gohan's shirt, and her eyelids lifted.  
  
"Gohan?" she questioned, sitting up in his arms.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I was trying not to wake you..." Gohan muttered, walking into her room.  
  
"What, oh no, I don't think it was you. I mean, I have been sleeping for a while now, I had to wake up at some point," she shrugged it off. Videl noticed that even after Gohan had set her down, his eyes continued to avoid hers. "Gohan? What's wrong?"   
  
"Hmm? Nothing! I mean, what made you think something was wrong?!" Gohan grinned half-heartedly.   
  
Videl grabbed his hand and lead him over to her bed, pushing him down and then sitting next to him. "Gohan.... I'm not stupid, and you've never lied to me before, not even about your feelings..." her hand rubbed against her chest. "You're... You're breaking my heart," she whispered, looking away as tears trickled from her eyes.  
  
"Videl, please don't cry... I was just thinking and... I..." Gohan's voice trailed off as his hand brushed the tears from her eyes.  
  
"Wh-what could you be thinking about that would make you lie to me?! You never have before! I can't think of one time... Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" she asked quietly.  
  
"As-as much as I hate to admit it, I'm kind of afraid of your answer..."   
  
"Why? What could I say? What do you want to ask me?" she wondered. She grasped his hand and rubbed it unconsciously.  
  
"Videl... Fine... Videl, if... If you had ended up with... With AIDS, would you, you know, still like me? Even, even love me?" Gohan asked. He didn't dare look at her once he had finished, so afraid of her reaction he was. Her grip on his hand tightened, and he was sure he heard something almost like a sob rise from her throat. But whether her had originally intended to look at her face or not, he felt a tear drip onto his hand from her eyes, and he was forced to turn around.  
  
"Gohan... I have to know before I tell you... Would you still love me?" she was fighting every one of her emotions, for the very core of her body was telling her that this was it, and that this was how he was going to break up with her.  
  
Gohan studied her for a minute, before he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back, silently cooing for her to calm down. "Videl, I-I would still love you.... No matter what, I'll always love you, but please, I need to know if you would feel the same about me..." Gohan cried softly, rocking back and forth, trying to calm her and himself at the same time.  
  
Through all of her own tears, she finally allowed a small smile and a light laugh. "Oh God Gohan... I love you too. Nothing would have ever stopped me from feeling this way toward you, and especially not some disease," she just lightly brushed his cheeks with her lips.   
  
Gohan swallowed hard several times, before leaning down and kissing her briefly. He continued to hold her, even though he was crying softly. Videl pulled back and stared at Gohan for a second.  
  
"Damn... I don't deserve you..." she whispered, one hand brushing Gohan's cheek.  
  
Gohan suddenly chuckled quietly. "And here I was, thinking that I don't deserve you..." he looked up at her and smiled. "I think we've gotten ourselves mixed up. We deserve each other."   
  
Videl choked for a second, still trying pathetically to stop her own cries. But her lips were soon caught up in Gohan's own, and she had no worry or fear of crying anymore.  
  
Gohan's lips moved down onto Videl's neck as the pair collapsed back onto her bed. But just like last time, Gohan stopped himself. He lifted his face and went back to kissing her lips, despite what his instincts were telling him to do.  
  
Videl searched Gohan's eyes, and realizing what had happened, she gently grasped his wrist and lead his hand down to the hem of her shirt. Gohan blinked at her, slightly confused, and she decided to take the initiative. She gently began to lift the shirt from her own body, but Gohan placed a hand on her wrist and stopped her.  
  
"V-Videl... You don't have to do this, you know... I swear, I'm fine with it," Gohan said, slightly taken aback by Videl's actions.  
  
Videl allowed a small laugh. "No, Gohan, I want this. And I mean it..." she wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck and kissed him with a heated passion. Gohan was hesitant at first, but both of them were soon caught up in a swirl of emotions, and neither could resist the other. Their minds, their bodies, and their hearts became one on that night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
HAH! Well, how do you like it? I mean, it's short, and I didn't make it a lemon, like I'm sure some people want, but how is it? And see, they didn't fall asleep! *smirks evilly* BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm hyper right now!   
  
Oh, and don't review asking for a lemon, I'm NOT writing one. I know some people who will write a lemon, and then say that they tried to make it more about the emotions, but you know what?! It's still pornography... Just because you capture their emotions as well, doesn't make it less of pornography... Okay, I'm done with that little rant.  
  
I have a ton of things to ask and say to you all right now. First, about the sequel. Normally, I try to have the entire fic plotted out in my head before I even start writing it. I don't have the sequel plotted out in my head entirely yet, though. I do have a few chapters thought out though.. So here's my question; Do you want me to post chapters as I think of them, or do you want to wait? I'm warning you though, It may take a LONG time for me to think this one up, 'cause I have to do research on the court process.   
  
I'd also like to address my reviews...  
  
First, Majunior7: Yeah, I know. After I wrote that to you I remembered that fic. Don't know how I forgot it... She needs to write more NOW.... But I'm glad that you think it was well-written, and I thank you.  
  
  
RJ: Why thank you... I needed some comedy in my fic, and the Hercule thing was as good as any. And indeed, you did get me closer to the 100 mark, you had me up to 95 with those reviews.   
  
  
Mistress Frostic: I'm glad you wanted a sequel so much! And indeed, Rom is a character from DBZ. Think Saiyan Conflict Saga...  
  
  
Saiyan Princess77: *grins* I'm glad you want me to continue so badly. Rom.... As I said to Mistress Frostic, think Saiyan Conflict Saga... Oh, and about what you said at the end of your review... Did Videl have some fun with Gohan? *grins* Well, there's your answer.  
  
  
Chrissy: Wow, you were hyper again weren't you? I'm glad you like it so much, and I'll definitely do the sequel, thanks to all you guys. And when I do, I hope you read it, but I hope you like it too...  
  
  
Holy-Knight: Hmm... Just because there's no AIDS doesn't mean that there won't be angst in the sequel, though. I'm glad you liked the story so much....  
  
  
To DigiExpert: My 100th Reviewer! And to think you put in your review that you hoped I got 100 reviews. I will do the sequel, and I'm so glad that you liked it so much.  
  
  
Run Chou Chou 21: Nope! Remember... Think Saiyan Conflict Saga...  
  
  
C: Sure, I'll do a sequel. Thanks.  
  
  
Leaf Zelindor: Moo!? Please don't hunt me down! Eheheheh... And nope, still nobody knows who Rom is... Saiyan Conflict Saga!  
  
  
Mrs. Videl Son: Sure, here's your hint. Think Saiyan Conflict Saga... Oh and about the other part of your review. No matter how famous a person is, he'd still have his opposers, his unbelievers. And I'm going to have the Japanese jury system the same as the American one. Which means that the jury is made up of random citizens who are eligible for voting. Any citizens. And these ones happen to be a bit skeptical of Hercule's standings.  
  
  
David: You know, I'm glad...  
  
  
Rewzone: I'm glad you like it, and if you want the sequel, you got it!  
  
  
Emmerz: For lack of better words... Thank you! *grins* Sure I'll do the sequel. And Rom is... In the Saiyan Conflict Saga! Bwahahaha! Well, your gym teacher seems wise...  
  
  
DEE: Hmmm.... She WASN'T pregnant... She might be now.... Sure I'll update!  
  
  
Strikeeagle: Why thank you. I tried to capture her emotions well.... And the sequel will be up sometime....  
  
  
THE ONE: I'm not sure whether that was meant as a compliment or not, but thanks! And see, this chapter doesn't follow that same path.  
  
  
Dark Emotionless Shadow: I always try to make things emotional.... BWAHAHAHA! And Y'know, I'm all right with you killing my jury.... Kill the bastards!   
  
  
Village Idiot: Was this chapter sappy? Oh, and the sequel will DEFINITELY have sappy...  
  
  
DarkAngel-Raven: Thank you... See, I updated!  
  
  
Ranting Raving Jess: Wow, I can barely ever remember getting such unabashed praise from anyone... Why thank you...  
  
  
Now, for everyone, because I know some of you stopped reading after I addressed you, I have something else I need to say. If anyone can guess who Rom is, I'll put them in the ficcy. Here's some hints:  
  
@-Saiyan Conflict saga  
  
@-He was very young, probably around five...  
  
@-Here's a quote... "You mean you're five years old and you've never seen the ear test?!" -Rom  
  
@-He only appeared in one episode.  
  
@-I'm not sure if it was Rom saying this or someone else, but: "Help us Pigaro, Please help!"  
  
Five hints... Now get reviewing....  
  
~Videl~ ~Z~ 


End file.
